VINCENT AND ELDRA eyed the book and its cracked cover with suspicion as it lay between them on the table, each hesitating to reach out for it, caught between the desire to know what it may contain, and the dread of discovering what may lay ahead of them.
"This is ridiculous!" Eldra exclaimed.
Snatching up the ancient tome, then faltering before opening its cover.
The feel of the book in her hands evoked the memory of the snake hidden between the logs when she was a child.
Whatever awaited between its pages frightened her.
Would it lead to their salvation, or would it strike them down as she feared the snake would?
She unlocked the clasp of the book with the key, lifting the cover gingerly. When nothing leapt out at her from between its pages, she opened it fully, scolding herself for her childish fears.
Her confidence faltered as her eyes fell upon the strange symbols drawn across the pages before her.
They appeared almost like runes, though Eldra could not say with any certainty what they were.
She turned the book toward Vincent.
"Have you ever come across markings such as these in your travels?"
Vincent leaned closer, he remained silent studying them for several moments before finally shaking his head.
"I'm sorry, my love. I have never seen markings such as these before," he told her.
Eldra slammed the books cover shut, in frustration.
Why would her mother have kept a book that Eldra could not even read hidden away for all these years?
The question troubled her.
Unless her mother had never dared to open the book herself.
Perhaps she, too, had feared what she might find within its pages, and perhaps that was the reason it had remained concealed for so long, untouched and forgotten.
It was the only explanation Eldra could think of.
Or perhaps the Seer had forbidden her mother from opening the book until Eldra had come of age?
The thought struck her with such force that she sprang to her feet, nearly upending her cup of tea in the process, though she barely noticed, already beginning to pace the room as she had done the day before, her mind racing as she turned the possibilities over and over.
Vincent hurried to steady the cup before its contents could spill across the table and onto the ancient pages, and in doing so, he accidentally knocked the book from the table.
It struck the floor with a heavy thump. Both turned toward it at once.
They bent to retrieve it, reaching for the book at the same moment. Their hands meeting briefly upon its cracked cover.
For a heartbeat, neither moved.
A flash of lightning like energy shot through them, knocking the breath from their lungs and sending them recoiling in shock.
For several moments, silence ruled.
Once Eldra had recovered from the powerful jolt, she cautiously reached down and picked up the book from where it landed on the floor. And she froze.
The cracked leather cover felt strangely warm beneath her touch.
From somewhere deep within the ancient tome came a faint hum, almost too subtle to hear, accompanied by a gentle pulsing of energy that seemed to throb beneath her fingertips.
Eldra looked toward Vincent, her eyes widening.
"What just happened?" she whispered.
Eldra solemnly opened the ancient book once more.
A gasp of astonishment escaped her as she stared down at the pages. The strange, archaic symbols that had filled them were gone.
With trembling hands, Eldra flipped through the book, scarcely able to believe what she was seeing, page after page had been miraculously transformed, and Every trace of the incomprehensible writing had vanished, replaced by words she could finally read.
"It's changed," she breathed.
Excitement shining in her eyes, she eagerly passed the book to Vincent. He took it from her reluctantly and opened it.
At once, a deep sense of unease swept through him. He could feel it.
Magic.
Ancient and potent, it seemed to radiate from the pages, reaching deep inside him, and something within him stirred in response.
Vincent's breath caught.
He slammed the book shut, tossing it onto the table, shoving it far away from himself as though it had burned beneath his touch.
Eldra stared at him in bewilderment.
"What's wrong, my dark love?" she asked.
"Its magic stirs the beast." Was all he would say, before moving away from the table, and crossing the room to tend to the fire in the grate.
Fear was creeping into his heart as he thought of the effect the book had on him. If it could call forth the bloodlust just by holding it, what could it do if Eldra read it?
If she tried to summon its full power?
Vincent looked at her as she held the ancient tome in her hands, the terrible look of happiness on her face tore at his heart.
He shuddered at the thought of losing her to whatever dark power was calling to her from within its pages.
He could feel it already, stirring something deep inside him, and the thought of that same power claiming Eldra filled him with a dread unlike no other he had known.
* * *
Vincent left Eldra curled up on the bed, completely enthralled by the book and whatever revelations were contained within its cursed pages.
He needed to hunt, and more than this, he needed to think.
How could he convince her to destroy the book before it destroyed the bond between them?
He could still remember the sensation of the beast awakening within him when he had held the book.
Even now, the memory unsettled him.
There had been something in its pages that had called to the darker part of his nature.
Something that seemed to recognize what slept beneath his human form.
What would happen if Eldra's full abilities were finally unleashed?
The thought sent a chill through him.
Would the power within her release the creature within him?
Would his bloodlust become so overwhelming that he could no longer control himself in her presence?
Vincent's blood turned cold at the thought.
The last thing he wanted was to become the very monster he had spent so long protecting her from.
He had devoted decades to keeping the beast within him under control, refusing to let it become a danger to those mortals who he crossed paths with, and now, for the first time, he feared that the ancient book might somehow strip away that control.
Turning him into the very creature he had sworn to Eldra that she would never have to fear.
He needed to find a way to make Eldra understand.
Before the book claimed her completely, and before the beast claimed him.
He would rather die than ever harm Eldra, yet the thought of leaving her was equally unbearable.
He could not bear the thought of returning to his solitary existence that he had once chosen for himself, the long years of self-imposed solitude stretching endlessly before him.
He had endured that loneliness because he believed it was the only way to protect others from the monster within him, but now he had Eldra, and the thought of losing her, and being forced back into that empty existence was almost more frightening than the beast itself.
With Eldra he had finally found a life worth living.
Vincent closed his eyes for a moment praying to the Old Gods that they would not take her from him in so cruel a fashion.
Then he turning, moved deeper into the forest.
He had not gone far when the sound of raised voices carried through the trees.
Vincent stopped, and listened.
The voices seemed to be coming from the direction of the field that bordered the forest's edge.
Moving silently through the shadows, Vincent drew closer, keeping to the cover of the trees.
With every cautious step, the sound grew louder, the voices carrying clearly through the late-afternoon stillness.
Then he heard one voice above the others. Johnas.
Vincent's entire body went stiff.
He would have recognized that voice anywhere.
His heart began to pound as he remained hidden among the trees, listening intently.
"Gather round, men!" Johnas's voice rose above the others assembled in the field.
"You have all been assigned your search areas, those who would, please follow Ferdy in the direction of the river. Albert and his men will search the forest to the west. Mathew will take his men toward the docks and along the coastline. William Talbot, take your men, into the heart of the forest."
He paused, allowing his men a moment to gather their bearings before his voice rose again.
"Remember, men the Witch must be found! Examine every ditch, hollow, or cave you encounter, any place large enough to conceal a person. Leave no stone upturned and no hiding place unchecked!"
His voice grew louder with each command, carrying across the field and deep into the surrounding forest.
"Find her!"
"I shall remain behind in the village. You can find me at my home, awaiting any reports sent back to me. If the Witch, or any sign of her whereabouts, is discovered, send a man immediately to me."
With that, Johnas dismissed them.
Vincent scanned the assembled men, rapidly counting how many had been assigned to each group, thirty-eight in all.
Thirty-eight men searching for Eldra.
His gaze settled briefly upon Mathew, whose massive frame and powerful muscles made him look as though he could be counted as two men alone.
Vincent hesitated, remaining concealed among the trees until the groups had dispersed and began making their way toward their assigned positions. Then he turned, moving swiftly through the woodland, taking every precaution to remain hidden.
He had to reach Eldra.
She was completely unaware of the danger moving towards her with every passing moment.
* * *
Ferdy glanced back at the men following behind him, and what a sorry lot they were.
Johnas had been forced to offer each of them a shilling to join the search, a miserly sum as far as Ferdy was concerned.
Ferdy's mind wandered as he marched through the thick underbrush towards the river.
He had heard tell that she could hex a man dead with nothing more than a glance, while still others claimed they had seen her a-flyin' through the night sky upon a broom, swooping down upon their live-stock and cursing the animals until they sickened and died.
There were others, however, who claimed she was nothing more than an innocent healer woman who had rejected Johnas's advances, causing him to take a deep disliking to her and according to them, his accusations of witchcraft were nothing more than spite.
Ferdy did not know which stories to believe.
The tales of curses and broomsticks sounded foolish enough, but then again he would not put it past Johnas to have tried to force himself upon the woman.
Ferdy had heard enough stories about the man's lecherous ways to know that such behavior was not beyond him.
Ferdy shook his head, and turned his attention back to the river.
Whatever the truth might be, he suspected a shilling was poor payment for becoming involved in Johnas's quarrel.
Percy had told Ferdy, that Robert had confessed to Percy that the red-haired serving wench had been assaulted by Johnas, and had quit the very next day.
Whatever the fat pig had, or had not, done to the two women, Ferdy despised him, and would not shed a single tear for Johnas if the man were to drop dead of apoplexy tomorrow.
As a matter of fact, Ferdy suspected the entire village would celebrate his demise.
Johnas was so thoroughly hated by them all, that most likely there would be more relief than mourning at his passing.
Ferdy almost smiled at the thought.
Then he remembered the miserable shilling in his pocket and scowled. A man had to be desperate indeed to risk his neck for so little.
Ferdy and the others struggled through the tangled thicket towards the river, he could hear the water rushing over the rocks growing louder.
When they reached the swollen riverbanks, Ferdy called for his men to halt.
He had no intention of being responsible for one of the halfwits in his group taking a tumble into the raging waters and drowning his fool self.
He peered across the swollen river, watching the current churn violently beneath them.
"There is no way the woman could have forded that river with the waters running this high," he declared. "I say we turn back and head to The Wolf and Lamb. We can sit down, have ourselves an ale, and think of a different plan!"
That was all Ferdy had to say to send his group of men scampering back through the brush to spend their shillings on good ale and perhaps a few hands of cards.
* * *
Vincent flew through the door, startling Eldra as she sat upon the bed, the ancient book lying open across her lap.
"They are searching for you," he blurted, barely pausing to catch his breath.
He quickly informed her of what he had witnessed near the village, his words tumbling over one another in his haste.
"Pack your things. Quickly. We cannot stay here." Eldra stared at him, stunned.
"We must abandon the shelter and make for the mountains. The men searching for you will not find us there."
She slowly rose from the bed, approaching him cautiously, much as one might approach a wild animal caught within a metal trap.
Vincent rounded on her, panic flashing in his eyes.
"We do not have time, Eldra!" he pleaded. "They are already searching the forest."
"No, my dark love. We cannot run forever," she said softly, placing a reassuring hand upon his arm. "We must stay and fight, or Johnas wins." Vincent looked down at her calming hand resting upon his arm, then into her emerald green eyes.
"I'm not asking that we leave forever," he said. "I only repose that we move to a more strategic location until the men have abandon their search."
His voice softened, taking on a pleading note.
"I know of a cave hidden within the mountains where we will be safe for the foreseeable future. No mortal man could climb the sheer rock face to reach it. They would never think to look for us there."
There was such earnestness in his voice that Eldra felt her heart soften.
She knew he was not trying to make her surrender, only that he was simply desperate to keep her safe.
Eldra slipped her arms around his waist, giving him a brief squeeze before nodding in agreement with his plan.
She began gathering their belongings, placing them into the flour sack Vincent had used to carry her supplies to her.
She paused to consider what else they might need if their stay within the cave became prolonged.
She collected the few pots and eating utensils they possessed, along with some dry wood and kindling, bundling everything carefully within the furs from the bed before tying them with a length of rope.
Vincent, meanwhile, reached beneath the mattress and withdrew a Spatha hidden within the darkness beneath it.
Eldra gasped as he drew the weapon free, slowly unwrapping the rags that concealed its blade.
She stared at the sword in astonishment.
"You had a sword hidden beneath our bed this whole time?" she asked.
"It was my father's," Vincent said quietly. "I have not touched it in many years. Not since I escaped the Vampire Hunters."
Eldra reached out, running one finger cautiously along the blade.
The moment she touched it, a violent ripple of Vincent's memories rushed through her mind.
Blood.
The blade slick with it as it tore through muscle and severed tendons.
She could hear the screams of those it had struck down, and felt their agony as the cold steel bit deep into their flesh.
She could feel the murderous intentions that had consumed the hunters, their hearts filled with an almost incomprehensible hatred for the creatures they slaughtered.
Eldra snatched her fingertips from the blade, feeling as if she may vomit. The men who met their grisly ends by the blade where pure evil.
Soulless assassins, sent by the church to commit genocide against Vincent, and his kind.
Then she recalled Vincent's story of the ruthlessness of his Maker, Aurelius and at one time of himself as well.
She struggled to reconcile the thing that he had been, with the man she saw before her now.
The tenderness of Vincent's touch came rushing back to her, the feel of his hands upon her flesh, and the gentleness with which he held her, so completely at odds with the tearing of teeth through mortal necks that had once been his existence.
For the first time, Eldra found herself wondering whether the hunters had been right to seek the annihilation of his entire clan.
Would Vincent be the same man he had become if his maker, Aurelius, had lived?
She already knew the answer. No, he would not.
Had Aurelius survived, Vincent might have remained the blood-thirsty creature without a soul that he had once been, and he might never have escaped the darkness that had consumed him, never discovering the man hidden behind the monster.
The realization filled Eldra with a deep sadness.
* * *
Leaving the sanctuary behind, they moved through the gathering dusk, making their way out from beneath the protection of the trees and across the drought kissed meadow that stretched toward the foothills of the mountains.
The pathway to the mountain proved treacherous, and Eldra lost her footing several times as they climbed over loose boulders and shifting stones that marked the steep trail toward the base of the sheer rock wall. Above them, the cave entrance lay hidden high within the mountainside.
Casting her eyes skywards, Eldra felt panic begin to rise within her breast.
The rock face seemed impossibly steep.
"How in the world are we supposed to climb that?" she whispered solemnly.
"How are we supposed to reach the cave entrance without spikes or rope to aid our ascent?" Eldra asked Vincent, staring anxiously at the sheer rock face.
A sly smile played across his lips.
"Climb onto my back, and you will see my love."
She looked at him with apprehension, then turned her gaze toward the smooth wall of rock towering above them.
"Surely you jest?" she asked. Vincent chuckled softly.
"Trust me, little raven. I will not allow any harm to come to you."
There was such quiet confidence in his voice that, Eldra found herself beginning to believe him.
Vincent knelt down, helping Eldra climb onto his back, where she clung tightly to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and locking her legs around his waist.
Once she was secure, Vincent slipped their belongings over his shoulders and began his ascent.
He moved up the cliff face with astonishing ease, like a spider crawling up the wall of a cottage.
His fingers and toes sought out the smallest ledges and cracks in the smooth stone, finding purchase where Eldra could see none, before he pulled them steadily higher.
Eldra pressed herself against him, clinging tightly as they climbed.
She made the mistake of looking down, the ground seemed impossibly far below them.
A wave of dizziness swept over her, and she quickly squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face against Vincent's shoulder.
"Do not look down, my little raven," he murmured, seemingly amused by her terror.
"I have discovered that already." She managed to reply breathlessly.
Vincent chuckled softly and continued upward, carrying her higher and higher toward the caves hidden entrance.
After what seemed like hours, though in truth had been only a few moments, Vincent finally pulled them onto a narrow ledge outside the caverns entrance.
He carefully loosened Eldra's grip, freeing her legs from around his waist before offering her his hand, and she took it gratefully, allowing him to pull her to her feet.
"Come," he said, leading her through the dark opening.
Once inside, Vincent slipped their bags from his shoulders and began unpacking their supplies.
He withdrew some kindling from his bag, then carefully removed the small clay pot in which he had carried an ember from the grate of the shelter they had abandoned.
The ember still glowed faintly beneath the ash.
Vincent placed it among the kindling blowing gently across it, coaxing the tiny spark back to life, and soon a small flame flickered, he carefully fed it until a modest fire crackled before them.
Its warm light danced across the cavern walls, illuminating natural crystals that had formed upon the jagged, icicle like rocks hanging from the ceiling.
They danced in the firelight like the teeth within the enormous maw of some ancient giant.
Eldra gazed upward, momentarily forgetting the danger waiting below.
"It is beautiful," she whispered.
Vincent looked around the cavern, a faint smile touching his lips.
"Beautiful," he agreed, "but not a place I would recommend exploring alone."
Eldra spun round, and round in a circle, enchanted by the refracted lights that illuminated the caves interior.
"It's so beautiful!" she exclaimed excitedly clapping her hands like a child, in her delight at the scene before her.
Vincent rose to his feet, watching her as she gazed around, the reflection of the fires light as it danced within her emerald green eyes.
"I stayed here for a fortnight many years ago while I was searching for a place to make my home," he said "before I found the shelter in the valley below and rebuilt it."
Vincent bent down and withdrew a candle from his bag, lighting it from the fire.
"Come. Let me show you something," he said.
Taking Eldra by the hand, he led her deeper into the cave, following a winding tunnel until they reached another chamber, far removed from the main cavern.
He raised the candle, its flickering flame casting wavering shadows across the walls.
Eldra gasped.
Figures of great beasts, birds, and stags had been etched into the caves wall, some so skillfully rendered that they seemed almost alive in the dancing candlelight.
She stepped closer, reaching out to run her fingers lightly across their ancient surfaces.
The moment her fingers made contact with the stone, the world seemed to shift.
She could see the faces of the people who had made the images, they looked unlike anyone she had ever seen, their features strange and unfamiliar to her, yet there was one striking exception.
Their eyes.
Brilliant blue eyes, remarkably similar to Vincent's own silver-blue ones. The resemblance was so startling that Eldra drew in a sharp breath.
Their skin, however, was unlike any complexion she had ever encountered.
It was dark, almost black, standing in stark contrast to the pale stones surrounding them.
In her vision, Eldra could see the ancient people moving through the meadows, hunting great beasts beneath the open sky.
She saw them gathering roots, berries, and herbs from the surrounding ancient forest, their lives seemingly bound to the land and the creatures that dwelled upon it.
For a moment, the cavern disappeared entirely, and she was standing among them.
Watching a forgotten people whose lives had vanished into the mists of time.
Eldra suddenly collapsed against Vincent as he pulled her hand away from the cavern wall, as her eyes slowly lost their faraway, distant look as the vision faded, leaving her momentarily disoriented.
Vincent caught her, steadying her in his arms.
"What did you see, my love?" he asked, his voice filled with curiosity and concern.
"The people who lived here a millennia ago," she murmured.
She offered no further explanation, and Vincent studied her for a moment, sensing that she was not yet ready to speak of what she had witnessed, so he said nothing more.
Together, they made their way back through the winding tunnels toward the entrance of the cavern.
* * *
In the panic of their hurried escape from the dwelling, it had never occurred to Eldra that the visions she had experienced through Vincent's blade might have been anything real.
Nor had she considered that what she had just seen while touching the ancient markings carved into the cavern wall could be anything more than vivid imaginings conjured by her own mind.
But now, as she walked beside Vincent, the thought returned to her. What if they were real?
What if she had truly witnessed memories belonging to those who had lived and died here centuries ago?
Another thought slowly took shape.
Perhaps this was the beginning of her powers finally coming to fruition.
Perhaps whatever had lain dormant within her for all these years was finally beginning to awaken.
They spread the furs across the cavern floor, preparing a crude bed for the night.
When Eldra finally lay down, her mind refused to settle, the images from Vincent's blade continued to haunt her.
The blood, the screams, and the creature she had seen within those memories.
She turned her body to study Vincent's sleeping face in the soft glow of the dying embers.
Could he truly have once been the blood-soaked creature she had witnessed in her visions?
The thought frightened her.
Even more frightening was the possibility that he might have to become that creature once again when they faced Johnas and his men in the battle she knew was coming.
Eldra lay awake for what seemed an endless amount of time, listening to the faint crackle of the dying fire, and the distant sighing of the wind outside the cavern opening.
She prayed that Johnas would eventually call off his search if his men failed to find her.
Perhaps he would grow tired of the hunt.
Perhaps he would simply forget about her and move on, but deep within her heart, Eldra knew better.
Johnas would not give up so easily.
* * *
Mathew and his men made their way toward the docks, stopping to question the traders and fishermen who worked along the waterfront.
"Have any of ye seen a woman matching this description?" Mathew asked, repeating the details Johnas had given them.
One after another, the men shook their heads.
"No one like that has been seen around here lately," one trader replied. Another snickered.
"Perhaps ye should try the bawdy houses. Might be she's selling her favors among the whores down there."
A few of the men laughed at the suggestion. Mathew snorted in disgust.
"Enough of that," he growled, turning away from them.
He moved onto the next trader, repeating his questions while his men searched the surrounding docks.
The more he searched, the more Mathew began to suspect that Johnas had sent him on nothing more than a wild goose chase.
They searched the coastline thoroughly, examining every secluded stretch of shore and questioning anyone they encountered.
Yet there was no sign of the woman.
The only things they discovered were torn fragments of fishing nets and pieces of driftwood washed ashore by the violent storms of the previous night.
Mathew stared out across the churning water, his expression darkening.
If the woman had truly passed this way, there was no trace of her left behind.
As the last light faded, deepening the darkness over the bay, Mathew gathered his men and called off the search for the night.
He selected one of them to return to the village and report their findings to Johnas, and instructed him to tell him that they had discovered no sign of the woman along the coast.
The messenger hurried away while Mathew turned toward the village. The rest of his men followed behind him as he made his way toward The Wolf and Lamb, more than ready to put an end to his fruitless search and enjoy a few well earned ales.
* * *
When Mathew arrived at the tavern he spied Ferdy, Albert, and William already gathered around the bar, their men filling nearly every table in the tavern room.
Ale flowed freely among them, the coins Johnas had paid them quickly finding their way into Robert's hands.
Laughter and loud conversation filled the room as the men drank away the weariness of the day, seemingly unconcerned that the woman they had been ordered to find remained somewhere beyond their reach.
Mathew shook his head.
It seemed the others had already decided that the hunt could wait until morning.
Robert bustled between the bar and the tables, sloshing more ale onto the rush covered floor than remained in the glasses by the time he managed to navigate the jostling crowd that filled the room.
It appeared some of the men had been there for quite some time. Many were already thoroughly drunk and a few sang loudly and horribly off key, while others had passed out where they sat, their heads lolling forward upon their chests.
Mathew pushed his way toward the bar.
"An ale, Robert."
The tavern keeper slammed the drink down before him with a harried grunt.
Mathew picked it up and made his way toward a table in the back corner of the room, where he could sit without having to contend with the drunken revelry.
He took a long drink, glancing around at the men who had been paid by Johnas to search for the woman.
He wondered what Johnas would make of his stolen coins being spent on ale by his drunken search party.
The old whore son was probably sitting comfortably by his fire, warming his arse and sipping his fancy whiskey, while the rest of them froze their bollocks off beating through the bushes in search of a woman who was probably long gone by now.
Mathew snorted into his ale.
A fine way to spend a man's coin, he thought bitterly.
After he delivered the chain he had been commissioned to make, Mathew intended to inform the cunt that he was finished with the whole affair.
If Johnas wanted a man on retainer, he could look elsewhere.
This entire business with the so called witch was nothing but a load of bull squirt as far as Mathew was concerned.
His wife had sought out the healer herself, purchasing a salve to treat the burn Mathew had foolishly inflicted upon himself when he had carelessly dropped a scorching horseshoe upon his foot.
The red-hot metal had burned straight through his boot, leaving a nasty wound beneath.
The salve his wife had obtained from the woman had healed it remarkably well, allowing Mathew to return to his work at the forge within days.
All that remained was a faint scar as evidence of his foolish blunder.
A witch, Mathew thought bitterly.
The woman had healed him when the Barber Surgeon could not.
He finished his ale, pushed himself to his feet, and made his way home. He had spent enough of the day chasing shadows through the countryside. Tonight, he wanted nothing more than the comfort of his own bed and the warmth of the woman waiting for him there.