AS KARA AND the children made their way into the church, while Mathew held back at its entrance. Since leaving Eldra and Vincent earlier that day, he had been unable to shake the feeling of doom that lay heavily upon them.
Why had Eldra been so eager to be rid of him he wondered?
Mathew glanced toward the stairs leading down to the crypts below, and a sudden chill ran down his spine, it was the unsettling feeling of someone walking over his grave.
He spotted Kara near the front of the church, standing beside the altar engaged in an animated conversation with her sister, Mabel and the priest. The children clustered around them, including Mabel's youngest, Robin, all wearing their Souling masks in anticipation of the even-ing's activities. They would soon be visiting houses throughout the village, begging for soul cakes in exchange for prayers for the souls of the residents' departed relatives.
Mathew watched them for a moment, and smiled, though the unease within him refused to lift.
His gaze drifted once more toward the darkened stairway leading below. For reasons he could not explain, Mathew suddenly felt compelled to walk down the darkened stairs and enter the crypt.
He searched the shadowed chamber for the couple, but could not find them. The tombs lay eerily silent around him, their elaborately carved effigies staring sightlessly upward from their stone lids.
Whatever bodies had once rested within had long since turned to dust. Then he heard a scratching sound somewhere off to his right.
He turned sharply. The noise came again.
Keeping one hand upon the handle of his dagger, Mathew followed the sound deeper into the crypt, until he discovered a large rat struggling to push its body through a small hole in the side of one of the tombs.
The creature paused and stared at him with its beady black eyes. Mathew let out the breath he had not realized he was holding. "Just a bloody rat," he muttered.
Yet as he turned away, the uneasy feeling returned.
There was something wrong with this place, something he could feel, though he could not yet put his finger on.
As he made his way back toward the stairs, Mathew passed the rushes that Father Thomas had laid upon the floor for Vincent.
His eyes were abruptly drawn to a dark pool of liquid on the stone floor. He stopped.
Then he knelt beside it l and hesitantly dipped one finger into the viscous fluid.
Lifting it to his nose, he recognized the distinct coppery scent.
"Blood?" he whispered.
He glanced around the crypt, suddenly on alert.
The rushes beneath his feet were disturbed, some of them stained dark where the liquid had seeped into them.
A terrible thought entered his mind.
He rose quickly something had happened here, and judging by the amount of blood upon the floor it could mean only one thing.
The realization of what Eldra had done filled him with dread.
In a panic, Mathew bolted up the stairs, leaving the crypt and its silent ghosts behind him.
He rushed beneath the arched entrance and out into the night, frantically scanning the crowded streets for any sign of Eldra or Vincent.
His heart pounded as he searched the faces passing before him.
Then his eyes were drawn toward the brightly burning bonfires that illuminated the boundary between the field and the forest beyond.
Two strangely luminous figures glided slowly across the moonlit field, gliding toward the shadows beneath the trees.
Mathew froze.
Even at this distance, something about their silhouettes seemed oddly familiar, and yet also unfamiliar in the way that they seemed to almost float across the field.
Then fear seized him.
Mowbray and his men were out there somewhere in the forest, searching for them.
"God damn it!" he exclaimed loudly as he fought his way through the crush of bodies surrounding him, as the two ghostly figures disappeared beneath the dark canopy of the forest. Without another thought, Mathew broke into a run, charging across the field and towards the danger that waited beyond the trees.
The bonfires cast long, flickering shadows across the grass as he raced onward.
He reached the edge of the forest and plunged beneath its cover, his eyes straining against the darkness.
"Eldra! Vincent!" he called.
His voice echoed among the trees.
How had they disappeared so quickly, he wondered? Then he heard the screams, and fear gripped his heart.
* * *
Before the crowds had fully gathered inside the church, Vincent and Eldra had slipped silently through the open doors.
Eldra wore the mask Father Thomas had given her, its colorful feathers concealed enough of her face to keep her identity hidden from any of Mowbray's men who might still be lurking within the village.
Though Vincent's shirt was torn, and his body badly scarred from the torture he had endured, few villagers they passed seemed to take any notice of him.
Their attention was drawn instead toward the church and the Kirkyard beyond. The flickering lights of the bonfires burned in preparations for the All Hallows' Eve festivities.
Keeping close together, Eldra and Vincent made their way silently through the village and toward the bonfires in the field between the forest and the village, the warmth of the flames could be felt even from a distance, as it dances over their cool skin, the orange glow illuminating the gathering crowds.
Neither needed to speak.
Since Eldra's transformation had been completed, they had discovered that they could read one another's thoughts, their minds now connected by something far deeper than words.
Eldra could feel Vincent's unease as clearly as if he had spoken it aloud.
'They may be watching us'
She glanced toward him beneath the edge of her mask.
'I know,' she silently replied.
Vincent's gaze remained fixed upon the forest ahead. But beneath her calm exterior, another thought stirred. Mathew.
"He follows.'
Vincent looked at her.
'He was supposed to stay in the village.' She sighed.
'Then we must try to lose him within the trees,' Vincent said within her mind.
Together, they slipped into the cover of darkness, increasing their pace as they joined hands.
Vincent led the way through the familiar landscape, moving effortlessly between the trees.
When Eldra stumbled over an exposed root, Vincent swept her into his arms before she could fall.
'Don't worry, my little raven. Soon enough, you will grow accustomed to all this new existence has to offer you.'
Eldra looked up at him, a faint smile touching her lips.
'You make it sound as though I have become some awkward fledgling.' Vincent chuckled softly.
'You are my awkward fledgling.'
She playfully stuck out her tongue at him. 'Put me down, you arrogant creature.' 'As you wish.' Vincent thought.
He lowered her gently to the ground, but kept hold of her hand as they continued deeper into the forest.
They slowed, then came to a full stop just beyond the trees where a group of Mowbray's men sat warming themselves around a small fire.
Vincent instinctively drew Eldra closer, his body tensing as he watched the men through the darkness.
The six men laughed and talked among themselves, unaware of the two figures watching them from the darkness a short distance away.
Eldra could feel Vincent's thoughts stirring within her mind. ' Too close to the village. '
She squeezed his hand to let him know she understood.
' Can we get past them?' Eldra looked up into his face.
Vincent studied the men carefully before looking toward the deeper shadows of the forest.
' Not without being seen. '
Eldra glanced back toward the village, where the distant sounds of the church bells drifted through the night.
Then she felt another presence approaching, ' Mathew!' Panic filled her mind.
Vincent's eyes narrowed.
' He's getting closer. '
For a moment, neither moved.
Then Vincent gently pulled Eldra closer.
' We need to eliminate them before they spot Mathew.'
The flames crackled loudly as one of the mercenaries threw another branch onto the fire.
Vincent watched patiently, they would have their opportunity.
As Mathew approached a twig snapped somewhere to the men's left.
They sprang to their feet in unison, turning toward the sound. This was the opening Vincent had been waiting for.
In one swift movement, he burst from the shadows, crossing the distance between them before the nearest man could react.
His hand closed around the mercenary's throat, and with a sharp twist, his neck snapped loudly.
The man crumpled silently into the grass.
The others barely had time to understand what had happened before Vincent was already moving.
They reached for their swords, shouting in alarm as they stumbled backward.
"The Vampire!"
"Arm yourselves!" one of the guards shouted unsheathing his sword.
The others followed suit, drawing their weapons and standing at the ready.
Vincent stepped between Mowbray's men and Eldra, his unnatural eyes flashing bright crimson in the firelight.
Eldra stood just beyond Vincent, her mask concealing her face as she felt the beast within Vincent stir.
' Stay behind me my love. '
She tightened her hands into fists.
' I'm not afraid. '
A faint smile touched Vincent's lips.
' I know.'
Stepping from behind him, Eldra removed her mask.
The remaining men froze as they felt her power.
A flash of crimson flickered within Eldra's eyes, lending something almost otherworldly to her appearance.
Even the bravest among them hesitated.
One of the mercenaries took an involuntary step backward.
"What manner of witch are ye?" he whispered. Eldra said nothing.
She raised both hands, the flames dancing within answered for her as a flame began to grow between her palms, its light flickering across her face.
One of the mercenaries raised his sword.
Eldra hurled the flame across the small clearing. It struck true, hitting him squarely in the chest.
He immediately burst into flames, staggering backward as he flailed wildly, desperately trying to beat out the fire consuming him.
His screams tore through the night.
The other men recoiled in horror, staring at Eldra as though they were seeing something far more terrifying than the vampire standing before them.
Vincent stepped closer to her, his crimson eyes gleaming.
Eldra lowered her hands, watching as the flames consumed the fallen mercenary, leaving only a blackened husk that had once been a man.
For the first time, she realized that the power within her was no longer something she merely wielded, it was becoming a part of her.
Vincent looked toward Eldra, who merely shrugged slightly A wicked smile spread across his face.
"Well done, my love."
He joined the fray, moving with such speed that the mercenaries could scarcely follow him.
He danced between their flashing blades, using his Spatha to spar with them as the clash of each parry rang loudly through the silence of the forest.
He slipped past each desperate thrust with effortless grace, turning aside one blade before ducking beneath another.
Then he seized a third man by the throat.
With a vicious slash of his blade, he opened the man's throat and sent him crumpling to the ground.
The remaining mercenaries stared at Vincent in horror, their confidence rapidly evaporating as blood dripped from the edge of his blade, stumbling backward in terror as he advanced.
Eldra raised her hand, summoning the strange power that now coursed through her once again.
A ball of fire erupted from between her palms, and streaked toward one of the men who danced with Vincent, but he saw it coming throwing himself aside as the fireball missed its target, striking a nearby poplar tree instead.
Flames raced up its ancient trunk, illuminating the surrounding forest in a sudden orange glow.
Eldra stared at the burning tree.
"I meant to do that," she muttered.
Vincent glanced toward her in the midst of the chaos. His lips twitched.
' Of course you did my little raven.'
Eldra felt his amusement through their connection.
' Do not dare laugh.' His grin widened.
'I would never dream of it.' But despite his promise a hearty laugh escaped from between his lips.
Overcome with panic two of Mowbray's men fled into the darkness back towards the village.
Eldra and Vincent watched them disappear between the trees. For a moment, there was silence.
Then, almost simultaneously, witch and vampire burst into laughter. Eldra covered her mouth, trying unsuccessfully to stifle her amusement. Vincent leaned against a tree, laughing openly.
"They will be halfway to the village before they realize they have left their weapons behind," he said, nodding toward the abandoned swords scattered across the clearing.
Eldra glanced at the weapons and shook her head, a mischievous smile curling her lips.
'I rather think they will be too frightened to turn back for them.' Vincent laughed again.
'Perhaps they shall tell Mowbray that the Devil himself came for them.' Eldra's smile widened.
'Let us hope they do.'
For a moment, they simply stood there laughing together, the absurdity of the mercenaries flight providing a brief respite from the danger surrounding them.
Then the crackling of the spreading fire drew their attention back toward the trees.
Vincent's expression sobered.
'Come, my love. We should not linger.'
Eldra bent to retrieve one of the guards abandoned swords, but stumbled beneath its weight.
Vincent stepped forward and gently took it from her hand before offering her his spatha.
"I think you will find this more to your liking, my love," he said taking hold of the weapon in her hands, and admiring the discarded blade.
Eldra accepted the spatha, testing its weight, surprised by how naturally it settled into her grasp.
Vincent glanced toward the fire.
Flames were spreading rapidly across the dry grass, creeping outward and beginning to climb the surrounding trees.
The scorching heat already reaching them.
"I think we should make haste before we also burn." 'I believe you are right.' Eldra replied silently.
Vincent grasped her hand.
'Come, my little raven.'
Together they hurried deeper into the forest as the flames behind them continued to spread, casting a fiery glow through the trees.
* * *
Mathew could see the fire spreading through the trees ahead of him as two of Mowbray's men rushed past, terror etched across their faces.
Neither man seemed to take notice of Mathew as they fled toward the safety of the village.
Before him Mathew could hear the flames roar as they spread from tree to tree, casting an eerie orange glow through the darkness.
He stared after the two soldiers, his unease turning to dread.
The church bells began to clang ever louder, their mournful peal rolling across the night, no longer did they sound like a call to celebration, but rather like a dirge for the dead.
Their solemn tolling carried across the village and into the burning forest, mingling with the crackle of the flames.
Mathew stopped for a moment, listening to the bells. And a shiver ran down his spine.
Mathew turned toward the burning forest.
For one agonizing moment he stood, torn between following the two fleeing men and pressing deeper into the burning forest in search of Eldra and Vincent.
Then his eyes turned toward the church where Kara and the children waited.
If the fire reached the village, the consequences for them would be disastrous.
With a heavy heart, he reluctantly turned and followed the two men back toward the village.
He would need to gather enough able bodied men to form a fire-break before the flames could spread any farther.
" May God go with thee my friends," he whispered, before crossing himself.
* * *
As the fire spread rapidly behind them, the witch and vampire pressed deeper into the forest, their thoughts of revenge driving them onward.
The orange glow of the fire racing between the trees behind them, casting long, writhing shadows across the forest floor.
Neither spoke aloud. They did not need to.
Their shared thoughts carried the same grim purpose.
' Mowbray.'
The name passed between their minds like a whispered oath. Vincent tightened his grip on her hand.
' He will never stop hunting us.'
Eldra looked toward the darkness ahead, her fingers closing around the hilt of the Roman sword at her side.
' It is time to stop running and stand and fight.' Vincent looked at her.
' My thoughts exactly, my little raven.'
Together, they disappeared deeper into the forest, leaving the growing blaze behind them.
Ahead, the forest grew darker and quieter with every step.
Yet neither Eldra nor Vincent looked back, for the first time since Vincent's capture, they were free, but freedom alone would not be enough. Somewhere in front of them, Mowbray was still hunting them, and they both knew that before the night was over, their paths would cross again.