FERDY PULLED THE cart to a stop in front of Johnas' house, glancing nervously around the darkened street before pulling his cloak closer around him against the late autumn chill.
Mathew had sent Ferdy and Albert to collect the cart after Mowbray had escaped.
Ferdy silently wished he had never gotten himself mixed up in the healer's plan, as Albert climbed down from the seat beside him walking around to the back of the cart, and pretending to adjust the load of empty whiskey boxes stacked within it that would serve as a barrier between the curious eyes of passersby, and the man they had come to rescue.
All the while, Albert kept a wary eye upon the silent street, watching for any sign of Mowbray's men.
Ferdy remained seated, his hands gripping the reins a little tighter than necessary, wishing he was safe and warm in his own bed, instead of sitting on the cold hard cart seat freezing his bollocks off.
"Where the hell are they?" Ferdy asked nervously. Albert glanced toward him.
"Keep yer voice down," he warned. "We have come this far, no sense getting caught before we ave even got started." Ferdy swallowed hard and nodded.
He glanced toward the house, his eyes lingering on the shuttered windows.
Ferdy shifted uneasily on the wagon seat, wishing the others would make haste, every passing moment seemed to stretch into an eternity.
Fear gripped at his heart when he imagined what would happen to them if Mowbray's men should arrive before they could get Vincent safely hidden beneath the blankets in the back of the cart.
He glanced back at Albert, who was still pretending to fuss with the boxes.
"What are they waiting fer?" Ferdy whispered. Albert looked toward the house.
"How the hell should I know?" Albert said under his breath.
Ferdy gave him a sour look before turning his attention back to scanning the streets for any movement.
"I thought they were meant to be done by now," he muttered.
Albert continued fussing with the boxes, though his eyes never stopped surveying the street.
"Aye, well, keep yer eyes peeled." "I am, ya idgit." Ferdy growled.
But with every passing moment, the knot of fear in Ferdy's stomach grew tighter.
If Mowbray's men appeared before the others emerged from the house, their carefully laid plan would be for naught.
* * *
Eldra searched the dead woman for the key, her fingers hurriedly exploring the folds of her clothing, and finding nothing. She glanced around desperately before spying it lying on the floor by the study door where it had come to rest when Bertha had landed at the bottom of the stairs.
She froze as she heard soft snoring coming from the chair in front of the fire.
Johnas!
How he had managed to sleep through the clamor of the scuffle between Mowbray and the old woman at the top of the stairs, followed by Bertha's fatal fall, Eldra could not imagine.
But if he awoke while they were removing Vincent from the house to the waiting wagon, he would be one problem among many that they did not need.
She glanced towards the back of the chair, her hand tightening around the cages key.
Mathew appeared at the top of the stairs, holding Mary in his arms, a grim look upon his face.
"Mowbray got away. We must hurry." Mathew said as he gently placed Mary on the chair beside the door.
Eldra motioned for him to join her in the study.
"What do we do with this one?" she asked, glancing towards Johnas.
"We should kill him," Mathew replied in a dead voice.
Eldra studied him for a moment.
There was no anger in his voice now, only a cold certainty that chilled her more than fury ever could.
Eldra placed her hand upon the smithy's arm.
"No. I won't ask you to do that again. There has been enough killing for one night," she whispered, recalling what he and Maeve had done to the blonde mercenary behind the tavern to ensure his silence.
Mathew gave a slow nod.
"Help me bind him, then," he said.
He moved to the curtained window and pulled the long, braided curtain ties from their place.
Gathering them in his hands, he turned back towards the sleeping Johnas.
"We shall tie him good and tight, so he will not be going anywhere until we are long gone."
As they bound him, Johnas snorted and opened his sleep fogged eyes.
Terror immediately filled him when he saw Eldra standing over him with a blade held at the ready, then at the massive smithy who was securing the curtain ties around him.
"Help me!" he cried out. "Bertha! Come help me!" Eldra leaned in close, a cold look in her eyes.
"Bertha's dead," she said flatly. "Murdered by your friend Mowbray."
Johnas' face went pale, his eyes widening at the news of the house-keeper's death.
"No. He wouldn't. You lie!" he cried, struggling against his bindings.
"Sit still, or you'll be dead yerself," Mathew growled.
Johnas fell silent, staring between them as the truth of Eldra's words began to sink in.
"Now you sit there like a good little boy while we bring Vincent up from the cellar, or I'll run you threw with this myself," she said flatly, holding the blade up before her eyes.
Johnas' face blanched an even lighter shade of pale at her words, and he silently nodded his head, all the while staring up at Mathew's massive frame towering above him.
Mathew gave him a hard stare, his expression leaving little doubt that Eldra's threat was not an idle one.
Johnas swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, remaining perfectly still as Eldra stuffed a rag into his open mouth to keep him quiet.
"Hurry, Mathew," Eldra urged as she unlocked the cellar door and peered into the blackness at the bottom of the stone steps.
"If Mowbray reaches his men before we can transfer Vincent to the wagon and depart, all will be lost."
She glanced anxiously towards the cellars depths.
"We cannot fight our way through all of his men with a wounded man in tow."
Vincent heard the key turn in the lock and scrambled back against the cage's bars, fearing that Mowbray had returned torture him again.
He had heard the commotion from above, but in his weakened state he had been unable to make out the words being spoken.
Vincent saw one of the torches being lifted from the wall, where the flames still burned, though lowly, and then moving towards him through the darkness.
Vincent weakly raised a hand to shield his eyes from its sudden glow, like a cat blinded by the sudden flash of lantern light.
"Vincent!" Eldra cried out.
She rushed towards him, a gasp escaping her lips when she saw the open wounds burned into his flesh and the deep cut upon his face.
"Oh, my love," she whispered, her voice trembling as she reached for him.
Instinctively, he flinched back from her touch.
Eldra's heart clenched.
She slowly closed her open hand and drew it back through the bars, a tortured look haunting her eyes.
Mowbray will pay for what he as done to you my dark love, she promised herself as anger flared within her.
"Hurry," she hissed as Mathew unlocked the cage door.
The smithy pulled it open, then hesitated before entering the cramped space. His massive frame filled the doorway as he studied Vincent warily, uncertain of what the vampire might do in his weakened, and wounded state.
"Easy, lad," Mathew murmured. "We are here to get ye out."
Vincent let out a howl as Mathew pulled him across the stone floor, the pain becoming agony with every movement as the chains dug into his tortured flesh.
Crimson flooded his eyes, and his breathing became ragged as the beast fought to take control.
His muscles tensed, and he bared his teeth in his struggle against the torment.
Then Eldra reached out once more, placing her hand gently upon his arm, and almost at once, the beast retreated.
Vincent looked into her eyes and felt a strange peace pass through him.
The terrible pain that had been ripping through his body seemed to recede, becoming something he could endure.
He drew a shaky breath, holding tightly to the sound of her voice and the warmth of her touch.
"My little raven," he breathed, his eyes filling with blood stained tears. "I don't think we can remove the chains before we move him," Mathew said, examining Vincent's body. "His skin has grown over the links in places. It would be better to let the priest remove them once he is safely away from this place."
Eldra reluctantly nodded her head, then looked into Vincent's eyes. "Do you understand what that means, my love?" she asked him.
Vincent signaled his understanding, and gritting his teeth against the pain Mathew carefully lifted him as though he weighed no more than a new born babe, carrying him up the stairs and out into the crisp night air. The biting chill made Vincent shudder as they emerged into the predawn darkness.
Mathew conveyed him to the waiting wagon, placing him down as gently as he could manage into the back of the waiting cart, then pulled the blankets meant to conceal his presence carefully over him.
Eldra climbed in beside Vincent, keeping one hand upon his shoulder to help ease his pain.
"We're taking you somewhere safe," she whispered.
Vincent closed his eyes, allowing himself to believe her.
Before they pulled away, Eldra told Mathew to fetch Lady Mary.
He returned only a few moments later and informed her that the lady would not be moved, choosing instead to stay by Bertha's side, until her remains should be collected by the church's undertaker.
"The Lady asked me to inform the priest of what has happened to poor Bertha, and for him to send the undertaker at once. I asked what she would do if Mowbray and his men arrived before the undertaker, and all she would say was, then have him prepare to collect my body as well.'" He spoke the last words quietly, a look of sadness upon his face.
Eldra glanced towards the shuttered windows of the house before solemnly lowering her head.
She could not fault Mary for staying.
After all Bertha had stood between her and danger twice, and now Mary would not abandon the woman in death, as the old housekeeper had refused to abandon Mary in life.
"May the old gods keep her safe," Eldra whispered, her heart heavy with worry for the friend they were leaving behind.
"Come, Mathew. We must away. Vincent's wounds need attention, and Lady Mary needs our prayers."
A tear slipped down Eldra's cheeks, soaking into the blankets covering Vincent's body.
Mathew nodded grimly and climbed onto the seat of the cart beside Ferdy as Albert waved them away, before slipping into the darkness and back to The Wolf And Lamb.
With one last glance towards the darkened house, Ferdy gathered the reins and urged the horses forward, carrying them away into the predawn darkness.
None noticing the man standing, well hidden, beneath the great oak tree across the street.
He stepped out onto the street only after the cart had disappeared into the blackness, watching until its lanterns were swallowed by the predawn gloom.
Then he turned and made his way towards the darkened house. "Lady Mary?" the man called out quietly as he crossed the threshold. Mary looked up, startled by the unfamiliar voice.
Terror filling her as she watched the stranger advancing towards her. The man immediately bowed deeply, then knelt beside her.
"Please, my lady, do not be afraid. I have been sent by the Queen to watch over you. Once Her Majesty received word of Mowbray's attempt upon your life, she dispatched me to act as your personal guard," he explained. The handsome young gentleman slowly extended his hand and helped the bewildered lady to her feet, a smile lighting his face.
Mary stared at him, still uncertain whether she could trust what she had just been told.
"The Queen sent you?" she whispered. The man nodded.
"Indeed, my lady. My name is Percival, and by the looks of it I have come none too soon."
"My Lady please, come with me. Now," he implored. "I overheard Mowbray and his men talking at the tavern, they are heavily armed, and making for this position as we speak."
His gaze fell to the body of the old woman lying upon the floor.
"I am sure your friend would not have wanted you to risk your life to sit beside her in death. She is at peace now, but you are still in grave danger, My Lady." the guard pleaded.
She hesitated, her eyes lingering upon Bertha's lifeless form.
Then offering him her hand, Percival helped Lady Mary to her feet, being mindful of her injured wrist, and with a heavy heart she turned, following the young man to the door.
Before stepping across the threshold into Johnas front garden, she glanced back one final time at the still form of the old housekeeper who had shown her so much kindness when she had needed it most.
"Bless you, Bertha," she whispered, tears filling her eyes. "For all you have done."
Then she followed the Queen's guard into the darkness.
* * *
The priest appeared suddenly from out of the darkness, stepping directly in front of the horse as the group passed the church, startling the animal, causing it to rear up, nearly upsetting the cart, as Ferdy struggled to keep the horse from bolting.
"Jesus, Father! What are ye doing skulkin around in the shadows like that? Ye nearly caused Old Fred here to tip the cart from beneath us!"
Ferdy called out.
Father Thomas took hold of the horses' bridle, placing a soothing hand upon the animal's nose.
Once the horse had calmed, he approached Ferdy's side of the cart. "I'm sorry, my son, but Mowbray's men are swarming over the tavern like ants at a fete. Robert sent me here to meet you before you arrived, unaware of the danger waiting at the tavern door." The priest explained. "Follow me. I believe I have a solution to the problem of where we can conceal our friend. That is if he can enter."
Mathew glanced at the priest with a quizzical look at his ominous statement.
Father Thomas led them toward the entrance of the church calling for Ferdy to stop before its massive wooden doors.
"If Vincent can enter the church, he and Eldra will be safe within the crypt that lies beneath the vestry. I do not believe that even Mowbray would dare search such a holy place," he said, making his way to the back of the cart where Vincent lay concealed behind the empty boxes.
Eldra watched the balding priest as he carefully lifted the blankets from Vincent's body, drawing in a sharp breath at the terrible damage hidden beneath them.
"My son, is one of your kind able to enter the sanctity of the church?" he asked the injured man.
"Yes, Father. I have many times taken refuge within an unlatched church when Mowbray and his father's men were hot on my trail," Vincent said to him "I have often admired the stained glass windows and the elaborately carved crucifixes that hung above their altars."
"Then you are welcome, my son, to enter, as all lost lambs are welcome who seek sanctuary within the church walls," the priest said, motioning for Mathew to come and help him carry Vincent's twisted body through the vestry and down the winding stone steps into the crypt that waited below.
Vincent groaned loudly as Mathew pushed the priest aside and lifted his body as he had done within the cellar.
Father Thomas had already prepared a thick pile of rushes for Vincent to lay upon, hoping to make him as comfortable as possible in his present state. Mathew laid Vincent gently down onto the bedding, and Eldra covered him once more with the blankets from the back of the wagon.
Then she stood and pulled Mathew aside.
"Tell Ferdy to join Albert at the tavern to help him glean what information they can gather about Mowbray's plans, and for God's sake tell him to keep his trap shut and his ears open," she hissed.
Mathew nodded his head and making his way back up the stairs to deliver Eldra's orders to Ferdy who waited by the cart.
Father Thomas hastened across the crypt floor with a bundle of clean linen and a bucket of water, that sloshed onto the stones as he it swung against his hip.
"Do not fear, my son, tis not but water from the well," he said when Vincent recoiled at the sight of the water filled bucket in the priest's grasp. "If I had known of Mowbray's plans for these cursed chains, I never would have agreed to bless them."
Eldra helped as the priest cleaned Vincent's wounds, taking great care to be mindful of the pain he suffered with every touch.
Seeing him like this, so helpless and in such agony, ripped at her heart. As they worked, the priest examined the lacerations that had begun to knit around the links of the chain, trying to determine how deeply the blessed metal had burned into Vincent's flesh, and the best way to remove it without causing him excruciating pain.
Meeting Eldra's eyes over the wounded man's body the priest finally spoke.
"I'm afraid it will not be so easy to remove the chains from the wounds that have begun to heal. It will be very painful for him," he said, a concerned look in his eyes.
Once the wounds where thoroughly cleansed the priest pulled Eldra aside.
"I have some Tears of the Poppy in my apothecary, I will fetch it before removing the embedded metal from his wounds."
The priest informed her before hurrying off to fetch the tincture.
Eldra sat upon the rushes beside Vincent tracing her fingers gently along his jawline.
Tears welled within her eyes as she studied the laceration upon his cheek. Vincent's silver-blue eyes lifted to meet her emerald green ones, and in that instant, they found themselves drawn once more into the center of the stone circle.
The moonlight faded as the sun began to rise above their heads, bathing the ancient stones in its golden light.
Once again, they were festooned in the white garments they had worn before, while the wind rushed around them, lifting Eldra's raven black hair.
Vincent moved to embrace her, and she could smell the familiar scent of him, that mixture of the smell of the forest, and his sweat mingled within her nostrils.
"You should have left me," he whispered bringing her lips to his own, and pressing a tender kiss upon them.
She pulled back from his kiss looking up at his face.
Reaching out her hand to trace her fingers lightly across the puckered scar that now ran along his cheek.
"I will never leave you, my dark love," she said, tears shining in her eyes.
"And I will never let Mowbray hurt you again." Her eyes darkening as her fury grew.
When Father Thomas returned, he was stunned to see the two staring intently into each other's eyes, seemingly oblivious to everything around them.
He approached them cautiously, placing his surgical tools on the rushes beside Vincent.
Eldra's voice echoed around the crypt's walls, though her mouth remained still.
"Do it now."
Her voice carried an unmistakable command, yet her eyes remained locked upon Vincent's.
The priest crossed himself, his hands trembling as he began to cut away the flesh that had healed around the chains.
Though Vincent should have been crying out in agony, his body remained completely still, oblivious to the pain, as though he were no longer aware of anything beyond Eldra.
Lost within her gaze.
He worked as quickly as he dared, and once he had finished, he bandaged the seeping wounds with clean linen.
Then, for the first time since reentering the crypt, he spoke.
"I am finished," he said to the empty room, though his words were also meant for the still figure of Eldra as she held Vincent's gaze locked within her own.
The air within the crypt changed in a subtle way, as though an unseen current of static charge had begun to run along the walls and across the cold stone floor, causing the hair on the priest's arms to stand on end.
Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the strange sensation dissipated. Eldra and Vincent's eye contact broke.
When Vincent began to moan in pain, the priest rushed to pull the cork from a small vial of Tears of Poppy, tipping a few drops into his mouth.
Moments later, Vincent's breathing began to slow, his body relaxing as his eyes closed and he drifted into a deep sleep.
The priest gave Eldra a sidelong glance, wondering what devilment he had invited into the house of God.
"What did you do to him, and how did you speak without moving your lips?" he demanded. "I will not brook any devilry being practiced within the church's walls!"
Eldra lifted her face from Vincent's now sleeping form, directing her steady gaze toward the priest.
"I have seen what you do to the altar boys under your care, Father. So if anyone has brought the devil into this church, it is you, not I," she said. "I know what unnatural desires you harbor in your heart. So do not judge what you do not understand."
Her eyes drifted back to Vincent sleeping face.
"Now go, and leave us in peace. Though I thank you for what you have done to help us, believe me when I tell you that if you mention where we are hidden, you will discover just what I can do."
Her head swiveled toward him, and her emerald eyes slowly turned to black.
"And that would be very bad indeed."
The priest leapt to his feet and hastened back up the stairs from the crypt and into the sacristy, throwing the latch across the door behind him.
His hands trembling, he grabbed a bottle of communion wine from where it sat upon the table beside the lumpy chair.
His breathing was as unsteady as he tipped the bottle to his lips and took a long draft.
"Dear God, what have I done?" he asked himself.
First, he had agreed to harbor a vampire within the church, and now Eldra had proved herself to be the witch that Johnas had claimed her to be.
God forgive him for granting them sanctuary within His house.
The priest offered up a prayer for the salvation of his eternal soul before taking another long drink from the bottle.
* * *
Eldra settle herself beside Vincent as he twitched in his sleep, caught in some dark nightmare still being trapped within the cage in the dank cellar of Johnas's house.
She placed her hand upon his, and he quieted down instantly.
She regretted making her threats to the priest but she had to ensure that he kept silent.
If Mowbray found them now, before Vincent has fully recovered his strength she did not know if she could hold Mowbray and his men off long enough so that they could make their escape.
She could not continue to ask Mathew or the others to risk their lives for them.
This was their fight and theirs alone.