Preternatural Prophecy Chapter 2

            As the Sun crept out of the western sky Laurel ran her hand along the giant fence that encompasses the village. Laurel pushed against one of the fence posts but it didn’t budge.

            “No way in Tati. How are we going to survive the night now?” Laurel yelled at Tati who was ahead of her. Tatiana shrugged her shoulders in surrender and moved away from the fence. Laurel sighed.

            “Laurel I have no clue how we are going to get in.” Tatiana said as her sister approached her. They heard a rustling in the leaves. Both jumped up. The man from the night before stood ten meters away, staring at them with Tatiana’s falchion at his side. He calmly walked toward them. Laurel and Tatiana pulled their knives out and crouched into a fighting stance. The vampire slowly pulled Tatiana’s falchion from his scabbard. He slowly raised the falchion. He smiled and bared his teeth at them. He sprung towards them.

            A whistling sound came from the trees. An arrow shot out, through the leaves of a tree, into the vampire’s left leg. A man jumped down from the tree and landed with cat like reflexes. He wore a green cape and a blue hat. The hat was pointed in the front with a curved back. A single feather stuck out of the side. The vampire pulled the bolt from his leg and threw it at the man. The man plucked it from the air and replaced it on his cross bow. He slowly took aim at the vampire. The vampire dropped the falchion and quickly retreated into the trees. Tatiana slowly walked toward her sword and placed it in her sheath on her back.

Laurel and Tatiana looked at the man with the cross bow. His shirt gently fluttered though there was no breeze. He started to walk towards the fence. The man placed a hand on the fence. He pushed forward with his open palm. The wooden fence opened up as if a door had been there all along. He motioned for both of them to follow him into the village behind the fence.

The village looked destroyed. None of the buildings had signed of life inside of them. Every building looked like it had been put through a war. Each and every one had some kind of damage to it. The farther the twins went into the village the more the twins sensed danger. A cloud of despair seemed to hang over the town. The man led them to the inner parts of the village. In the middle of the village sat a giant fountain with a gargoyle jutting the lower part of the fountain. It was a giant dragon rearing its head and spouting water. Its claws stuck out from its body. The other side looked like at one time it had the same thing. Broken pieces of rock lay scattered around the fountain.

Slowly teenagers started to appear from atop the houses. The teenagers jumped down off the roofs. They slowly made a circle around the twins and the man with the crossbow. The circle of teenagers pulled their swords out on the twins. A girl stepped forward and raised her sword on the twins. Her brown hair fell to the sides of her head. Her sharp blue eyes seemed as if they pierced directly into their souls. Her multi-colored tunic fluttered just like the man’s.

“Who are you two and why are you with Wendel?” She said to Laurel and Tatiana.

“I am Tatiana and this is my twin, Laurel. This man, Wendel, saved us from a vampire. We were looking for your village to re-supply and then go to the northern lands.” Tatiana said drawing her falchion slowly not to spark any aggression in the girl.

“Well if Wendel saved you form Aiden then you must be special. Aiden is the most ruthless vampire around. He is the leader of all vampires and for Wendel to save you from him is a big thing. If Wendel will do that for a couple of low-life amateur adventurers then you are welcome here for the night, I guess.” She said putting her sword back in the sheath on her hips. “Now everyone back to your posts, Wendel takes the two wretches to the stock room and set them up in the villa hostel for the night. And keep guard over them. I don’t want them pulling any stunts.” With that she bowed to Wendel and walked away into one of the run down shelters. The circle broke up and went their separate ways to guard the dilapidated town.

Wendel started to walk toward an inn and motioned for them to follow. He slowly led them into the inn. From the outside it was destroyed. On the inside it was lit up and elegant. There were satin table covers on the tables and tin cups on the bar. Behind the bar were barrels of grog and other drinks. Wendel lead them down a flight of stairs, in the corner, into a wine basement. Sacks of flour lined the wall. Barrels of water and grog were stacked into neat triangles and tied together with twine. Laurel took a long look at him. He had sharp blue eyes like the girl and wavy brown hair. His blue hat covered most of his hair. He had a long scar down the side of his face that augmented his other features. He led them into another well lit room and pulled four loaves of bread out of a barrel. He handed two loaves to each twin and moved to the next barrel. He pulled out to slabs of salted meat and gave it to the twins. He then proceeded to fill two wine sacks with water and gave them to the twins. He pulled a two deer hide bags from a basket and gave one to each twin. They both replied with a thank you and followed him back up to the main floor.

Once they arrived he led them up to a bedroom and set up a bed for each one. He then set up a chair by the door. He set his cross bow against the wall next to the chair and sat down. The twins placed their weapons on the beds and their new supplies on a hook of iron jutting from the stone wall.

“Wendel is there a blacksmith in the town? I need a new weapon. That vampire, Aiden I think the girl said, destroyed my weapon. Is it possible for them to make a short sword for me?” Laurel asked Wendel.

He nodded his head and walked out the door. He silently closed it behind him. Laurel and Tatiana looked at each other. Their eyes met and locked. Laurel shivered as if it were cold.

“That guy gives me the creeps. He won’t talk to either of us and he just sits there silently. It’s like he can’t speak. Let’s hurry and set the beds up for our sleep. And keep your dagger close in case he tries to kill us.” Tatiana said.

As she finished the door opened and Wendel reappeared carrying a beaten up short sword. He handed it to Laurel. He resumed his spot by the door. The twins took the deer skins off the bed and lay down. Each placed one skin over them and fell asleep. Wendel stood up and looked out the window into the darkness. A metallic clang sounded off in the distance.  Shouts could be heard from the village below. Wendel wrapped himself in his cape and lead his hat on a hook next to him. He blew out the candles and sat down by the door with his crossbow in reach at all times.

Laurel and Tatiana woke to the sound of screaming coming from outside. They both flew from their beds and unsheathed their weapons. Wendel looked up at them and then out the window. He didn’t move. Laurel and Tatiana jerked open the door and ran down the stairs. They ran outside to see the girl tied to the gargoyle. The claws of the gargoyle were pressed deep into her back. A vampiric dagger was stuck deep into her stomach. She coughed and blood shone on her lips.

“Aiden attacked in the middle of the night. He came here to kill you two. He wants you dead for some reason. Go to the northern lands. There you will find a witch who will tell you a prophecy.” She coughed some more blood. “Wendel will take you to her. You will have to get there safely. The fate of the world rests in your hands” She coughed up blood once more and stopped breathing. Wendel walked into the courtyard carrying the supplies with him. His eyes lit up with sadness as he walked out to see the girl dead. Wendel dropped the supplies and ran to her side. His hat fell from his head, his scraggly hair falling over his face. He knelt down in front of her and silently sobbed. She re-awoke for a second.

“Wendel, take them to the witch. She will guide you from there. I’m dieing. The Lord is about to take me. I can hear him say my name. Good-bye my brother.” With that her skin went completely white and her head hung down slowly swaying. Wendel stood up with tears streaking down his face. He placed his hat on his head then picked up the crossbow he had dropped. Wendel started to walk towards the gates. Laurel and Tatiana followed him, picking up the supplies he had dropped. As they walked towards the gate a little girl ran out from one of the houses.

“Wendel! Where were you? The vampires they attacked! They got your sister, Thea, and they tied her against the gargoyle! Where’s Samantha?” She yelled to him as she jumped up into his arms. She hugged him tightly and cried. He started to pet the top of her head. She slowly stopped crying. She sniffled and hugged him tighter. He pointed to the twins and mouthed something to her. She stood up and walked over to Laurel and Tatiana.

”Are you my new protectors? Wendel says you are. Please oh please may I come with you. I’ll die all alone here. Let me go get my teddy and I’ll come with you.” She ran back inside before the twins could say anything. They looked at Wendel. He pointed to his head then to their heads with his finger.

“She can read minds?” Tatiana asked him. He nodded and looked around. The girl came running out and jumped on him again this time with a one legged doll in her hand. She climbed all over Wendel and hugged his neck tightly.

“Can we go yet Wendel? I wanna go see the world!” She jumped off him and started to skip towards the gate. Wendel shrugged his shoulders and walked along side her. The twins followed close behind with their weapons out of their sheaths.

The sun had just set when the fire became an inferno. The flames leapt toward the sky as Laurel threw more wood on the fire. Wendel sat by the flames and played a game with the little girl. He threw sticks on the ground and she guessed what the answer was. She giggled as he nodded. Wendel shook his head seeing his futile attempts at the game. He stood up and threw the sticks into the fire. She quickly stood up and mimicked him. Laurel sat beside the fire with a cloth and her new sword in hand. It was not so new but it would work for the time being. She rubbed it down with a liquid from a flask beside her. The sword began to gleam as she swiped the cloth along the sword. Tatiana walked from the forest and threw a few more logs on the fire. Tatiana sat down next to her sister and pulled her falchion out of its sheath. She also started to wipe down her own blade. Wendel walked over to them and leaned close raising his eyebrows. The little girl mimicked him.

“Wendel wants to know what you are doing. And he wants to know what we are doing to protect ourselves from the vampires.” The little girl said.

“Well right now we are putting a poison on our swords so that anything that touches it is paralyzed. That is what we are doing to protect ourselves. Wendel may use the poison as well if he likes.” Laurel said holding the flask up. Wendel took the flask and sniffed it. He took his crossbow bolts and dipped them in. He placed one on the crossbow and shot a weasel that scampered across the forest floor. As it hit the animal it fell and lay there motionless. Wendel walked over to it and picked it up. He inspected it carefully then snapped its neck. The little girl imitated his motions with an imaginary animal. He took it by the bolt and cooked it over the fire. He slowly ate it and laid the crossbow bolt back into his pack. He nodded and handed the flask back to Laurel shaking his head.

“Wendel wants to know whether or not he should go hunting or you should just eat your bread.” The little girl said sitting down in front of the twins. She rocked back and forth each time getting closer and closer.

“We have no clue what we are going to do. I think we should just eat our bread and put more fuel on the fire and go to sleep.” Laurel said. Tatiana nodded in agreement. Laurel got up and pulled a loaf of bread out of her pack. She slowly ripped it into four pieces and tossed one to each person saving the smallest for herself. As the others chewed on their bread silently Laurel stared at hers thinking about what was happening. Tatiana came over and sat next to her. Tatiana placed a comforting hand on her sister’s shoulder. Laurel looked up and smiled at Tatiana. Laurel began to eat her bread and Tatiana stood up again.

“I’m going to get more wood. If I am gone too long, call out my name. Laurel you know what to do if I don’t come back.” Tatiana said starting towards the woods. Laurel nodded her head and picked up her sword. She attached it to her side and circled the fire. Tatiana slipped into the darkness of the forest. Laurel stood by the fire and waited for her sister to return.

Wendel had begun cleaning his crossbow when he heard a noise outside of camp. He lifted a bolt from his bag and placed it on the crossbow. He aimed into the darkness. He saw a figure moving in the darkness and depressed the trigger. Before he fired he saw Tatiana emerge from the darkness carrying a bundle of wood. She threw it on the fire. She turned and saw that Wendel had his crossbow pointed at her.

“Wendel don’t shoot me.” Tatiana cried out. Laurel looked over at him wide eyed. Wendel took the bolt off of the crossbow and pulled the trigger down. It dry fired and Tatiana shook in relief. He placed the bolt back into his pack and continued cleaning his crossbow. Laurel came dashing over to see what the problem was. She saw nothing was wrong and turned towards the fire.

“Where is the little girl Tatiana?” Laurel asked.

“Last time I saw her she was sitting in front of the fire.” Tatiana answered staring at the fire.

“She’s not here now.”

“What do you mean she’s not here? I just saw her a couple seconds ago sitting right where your standing.” As she said that Wendel jumped up and dashed into the forest. A scream was heard coming from the direction Wendel had went. Laurel and Tatiana sprang up and ran towards the noise drawing their weapons.

The three arrived soon at a small clearing. The little girl lay in the dust with a full grown male wolf ripping apart her throat. Wendel stood a few meters away staring at it. Laurel jumped at the wolf and swung her blade. It made contact directly with the shoulder blade. The wolf howled and leaped back. It emitted a low growl and its fur began to stand on end. Tatiana attacked with her falchion missing the wolf’s nose by mere seconds. It leaped at Tatiana’s throat. Laurel swung her short sword upwards and caught the wolf in the belly halfway through its leap. The wolf was flung to the side into a tree. It hit the ground with a thud and lay still. Its belly began to bleed a deep crimson red. The little girl lay in the moon light with her throat ripped open blood trickling from her mouth. Wendel picked her up and walked away. Laurel and Tatiana dragged the wolf back to the camp and threw it into the fire. A huge flame went up as the wolf was thrown on causing the twins to flinch. They both laid out their stuff and fell asleep. Wendel came back a few minutes later silently sobbing. He lay down on his pack and rolled around. A tear shone on his face in the light of the fire. A lump grew in his throat.

Later that night the moon shone down onto Tatiana’s hair. Aiden stood at the clearing’s edge staring at the twins. He gently licked his lips. ”One day, I will have them as my own vampire slaves.” He grinned to himself and called out Tatiana’s name. She sat up slowly. She looked around and saw him. She stood up and walked towards him in a daze. He lured her back into the woods. She slowly followed him into the forest. As he brought her into a smaller clearing vampires began to surround them. Aiden gently stroked Tatiana’s cheek. She woke up suddenly breaking the spell and backed away from Aiden.

“What am I doing here?” she questioned.

“Shush Tatiana. All in due time. For now I am going to change you into my vampire slave.” Aiden said moving towards her. Tatiana screamed and grabbed at her falchion. Laurel and Wendel smashed through the brush. Laurel tossed the falchion to her sister. Tatiana caught it clumsily. They immediately drew their weapons and attacked Aiden. Wendel shot a bolt but his shot was wild and hit a tree far from its intended target. More vampires ran out of the bush. The vampires lined up in front of Laurel and Wendel, blocking them from Tatiana.  Tatiana swung her sword at Aiden. He swiftly dodged, and swung his vampiric knife at her. She fluidly grabbed his arm and twisted his wrist. He cried out in pain and dropped his knife. She swiftly dropped down to her knees and cut his leg out from under him, his blood spraying onto the ground.

Aiden dropped to the ground and stopped moving paralyzed by the poison on her sword. His black blood spilled out onto the ground. Laurel and Wendel had just finished dispatching the last vampire. Their bodies littered the ground around them. Wendel had to scratches on his neck and he was rubbing them vigorously. Laurel sheathed her short sword and walked toward her sister. She quickly inspected her and pushed her towards the camp. 

Once they had gotten back to the fire Laurel once again inspected her sister then sat across from her. “Tatiana what happened?” She asked staring into her sisters eyes.

“I’m not sure. I woke up as if under a spell and my body followed him into the forest. He told me he was going to make me his slave. I couldn’t control my body so I screamed. It must have broke his concentration and let my body go free from his control.” She shuddered. “Can you throw some more wood on the fire? Is it beginning to get colder?” Laurel stood up and started towards the woods but stopped. A pair of eyes stared at her from the darkness.

“Tatiana, toss me my sword.” Laurel said standing still. Tatiana looked up in the direction of her sister and froze. She quickly pulled out her falchion and stood up. She drew her arm back and threw her falchion directly at the pair of eyes. Laurel caught it in mid air and swung it at the hidden figure. A vampire jumped out of the path of the swing and into the fire light. He landed directly in front of the fire and drew his knives.

Tatiana picked up her sister’s sword and charged him. He swiftly dodged out of the way of her charge and brought his elbow down on her back. She cried out as she crumpled into a pile at her feet. Laurel jumped and brought the sword down directly on him. He jumped back into the flames and screamed. Wendel rushed forward and pulled him out of the fire. He rolled the vampire around on the ground and extinguished the flames. The vampire smiled at him and bit down on Wendel’s hand. Wendel howled in pain and jerked his hand back. The vampire slowly became a shadow then disappeared. Wendel walked over to his pack and wrapped his hand in deer skin. He suddenly became angry and stomped off into the forest.

“Wendel, Come back!” Laurel cried out. She started to run after Wendel but Tatiana grabbed her shoulder and shook her head. She held out her water sack so Laurel could take a drink. Laurel slowly took it and drank from it. She wiped her lips and gave it back to Tatiana. They both sat down with their backs to the fire and waited.

Wendel came back shortly before daybreak and roused the half asleep twins. He helped them gather up their items and packed his own things. His hand swelled twice the normal and had turned purple. His knuckles were bruised. He motioned for them to start walking along ahead of him and kept packing his stuff.

Laurel and Tatiana started on the path to the next town. They both held they weapons on the ready and walked side by side. Wendel shortly followed them bringing up the rear with one of the knives stolen from the vampires. He slowly walked behind them taking long strides scanning the area. The sky began to darken. A raindrop fell from the sky and was soon followed by a downpour. The twins quickly looked around and ran under a tree. Lightning flashed in the sky and thunder roared. Wendel walked over to them and swept his eyes from either twin. He walked back into the rain. He disappeared down the trail. Laurel withdrew two cloaks from her bag. She handed on to her sister and wrapped herself in one. Tatiana wrapped up in hers. Tatiana began to shiver as the cloak around her became more and more soaked.

Wendel came back into view and waved for them to follow. The twins stood and ran towards him. He turned and ran into a cave ten meters away. The twins followed him in and shed their cloaks. They quickly lit a small fire. Wendel stood by the entrance to the cave and stared out into the rain. They strung a line of twine into the crevices and dried their cloaks above the fire.

“Laurel. We need to figure out what we are going to do. Just waiting for them to attack isn’t going to work. If we want to end this foolish game that these vampires are playing with us then we should strike back.” Tatiana said.

Laurel nodded. “We should wait till nightfall then move. We can’t afford to be caught sleeping when they attack. We need to get to the next village as soon as possible. It won’t help that every vampire will be searching for us because we contended with Aiden.”

“The next town is about four days away. I’ll go search for meat so we can get some strength for the night.” She stood up and grabbed her sword from the sheath by her pack. She exited the cave leaving Wendel and Laurel alone. Wendel came over to the fire and sat down in front of it. He slowly looked up at Laurel. Wendel’s eyes began to turn red. Laurel gasped as she saw it. Wendel’s face turned to a puzzled look.

“Wendel your eyes changed to red. They used to be blue and now they are red.” Wendel stood up and walked to the entrance of the cave. He cautiously bowed his head down to a puddle that gathered there. He drew backwards as if attacked and shook his head. He scooped up some of the water and splashed his face with it. He came back to Laurel and pointed to his eye.

“The red is still there. It looks even redder now.” Wendel stomped his foot. He fell to the ground and covered his eyes with his hands. He gently massaged his eyes with his fingers.

Tatiana walked back into the cave with a deer slung over her shoulder blood dripping down from the deer. She threw it by fire and scooped up some water from a puddle. She washed a little of the blood off her arms then walked over to the fire. She pulled a knife out of her pack. She calmly cut the deer open and pulled the organs out. She cut the skin off and placed the organs in the skin. She put it off to the side. She then proceeded to roast some of the meat above the fire. She handed some to Laurel as it darkened. She poked Wendel in the arm. He looked directly at her. Tatiana flinched as she saw his red eye.

“What happened?” She asked shocked.

“His eyes turned red. I’m not sure from what. I think he has some blood poisoning from the vampire.” Laurel said. Wendel pulled some of the meat from the fire. He turned away from them both and ate solemnly. Tatiana continued to stare at Wendel until Laurel prodded her in the side with the hilt of her sword. Tatiana turned away and started to eat. They spoke no more till the rain had stopped and the sun had set.

The twins silently picked up their packs and checked their weapons. They exited the cave. The full moon shone through the trees. Wendel followed them out. The twins walked along the path. Wendel brought up the rear. Laurel and Tatiana drew their weapons and held them at the ready. Wendel let his crossbow hang at his side. The twins cut their way through the trees blocking their path. Wendel’s gaze shifted from left to right searching for any signs of danger. Laurel stopped for a second and picked up a doll. It was the same one as the little girl had. Blood covered it. Its left leg was missing. The blond hair gently rustled in a slight breeze that blew through.

Three days later the twins collapsed from exhaustion. Wendel stood above them burned badly from the sun. He too collapsed in the shade next to them. The sun burned brightly above them. Wendel grimaced as he slathered aloe he had found in the forest over his burn. They sat there for an hour before anyone said anything.

“We cannot continue like this. Our energy is drained and we cannot move on. We have no clue where we are. We need to rest for a night.” Laurel said.

“Where can we go that is safe? If any of us fall asleep we will be picked off by the vampires. You saw them following us last night. They must have realized we are exhausted.” Tatiana replied.

“Well dears, I‘ll lead you to my house then. You can rest up there for a night or two.” An old lady said emerging from behind a tree. “Though, you will have to help me carry my berries and bag home.” Laurel and Tatiana immediately stood up and drew their weapons wearily.

“Who are you?” Laurel demanded, with not much force in her voice. The old lady laughed.

“I’m the witch of the forest. I’m here to help you. And you can stop with that little façade. It’s obvious that you three are exhausted.” She said. Tatiana put her falchion away. Laurel didn’t move. Tatiana nudged her sister in the ribs. Laurel slowly placed her short sword in her sheath and picked up the old lady’s bag. Tatiana took the old lady’s berry pouch. The old lady beckoned for them to follow.

“Wendel are you coming?” the old lady asked after a few steps. Laurel and Tatiana looked at the old woman shocked she knew his name. He stood unaffected by it and followed them.

They shortly came to a village. The village was immaculate. No people could be seen but there was no damage to the buildings. As Wendel passed through two posts signifying the entrance to the town he fell down mouth agape. The old lady turned and muttered something under her breath. She then turned and pointed to a small hut.

“Take your things to that hut and stay there while I tend to your friend.” The old lady commanded. Tatiana and Laurel stood for a second then followed the old woman’s orders. They went inside the hut and laid the stuff on the ground. The old woman walked over to Wendel and knelt down beside him.

“I know what you really are. You’re a vampire now, aren’t you? Well stand up. The spell shouldn’t be affecting you so much anymore. I cast a spell upon you so you may walk upon these sacred grounds.” The old women said in a reassuring voice. Wendel got to his feet gingerly and started to walk towards the hut. The old woman took him by the arm and helped him to the hut. The girls were sleeping next to each other on top of a deer skin. “You might want to do the same Wendel. I shall reveal more about myself later. Just lay down.” The old woman said producing another deer skin handing it to him. Wendel put it on the ground and collapsed into a deep sleep.

Laurel was the first to wake up. The old woman stood by a pot above a fire. The woman lifted a ladle out of the pot and took a sip. She nodded and placed it back into the pot. She turned and saw Laurel sitting up. She took a bowl from a shelf above her and filled it with the contents of the pot. She shuffled over to Laurel and handed her a bowl of stew. She handed it to Laurel then shuffled back over to the pot.

            Laurel took of the stew and cried out in pain. The old woman laughed as Laurel panted and waved her hand in front of her open mouth. Tatiana bolted up and had her hand on her sword. Tatiana laughed as she saw Laurel fanning her burnt lips. Wendel groggily sat up and yawned. He looked at the twins then to the old woman. He lay back down and closed his eyes.

            Tatiana stretched and reached for a bowl above the stew. The old woman slapped Tatiana’s hand and filled a bowl with the stew. Tatiana sat down by her sister and blew on it. The old woman came over and sat down in front of them.

            “I’m guessing you three are here because Thea sent you?” Laurel nodded. “I told her long ago that you three would need my aid. I’ve seen a lot of things in this world and you three are a first for me. You will want to hear this. Well then I shall tell you the story from the beginning.
            “A long time ago, when vampires were first created, the gods knew that one day they would become too powerful and destroy the world. So they created a lesser being with the power to adapt that would eventually learn how to defeat the vampires. Eventually the humans began to evolve and become more powerful then the vampires, killing off most of them. The vampires fled to the south and were soon forgotten by the humans.

            “The humans were at peace for one hundred years before the vampires came back and attacked the humans. It was then that the first prophecy was handed down to a human by the gods. That prophecy stated that three young adventures would come and have a chance to destroy the vampires with a special knife called the Brimstone Blade. If a vampire even touched the blade they were immediately turned into dust. Two of the three would be killed trying to obtain the blade.

            “The only way you can obtain it is by going into the heart of the vampire’s territory and stealing it from them. They hid it long ago in a temple far up in the mountains. You must then take the Brimstone blade and go to the castle where the first vampire was born where two foes await you. There you will lose two of you and the third will have to insert the knife into a special lock that will open a link to the underworld. Then and only then will all the vampires be dragged to their doom. “

            Laurel and Tatiana sat astounded by the prophecy. They looked at each other then to the old women. They sat silently going through the prophecy again. They looked at Wendel. He rolled over and stared back at them.

            “Well Wendel would you like to tell them or should I?” The old woman said. Wendel shook his head and rolled back over.

            “Tell us what?” Tatiana asked

            “Well Wendel is a vampire now. The bite he received the other night from the vampire has been infused with vampire blood. He is currently suffering from a migraine and fatigue. His body is slowly shutting down under the influence of the spell that was cast over the town. Also he will need to turn back into a human if he wants to prevent being dragged into the underworld.”

            “Is there anything we can do to help?” Tatiana blurted out.

            “We have to either undo the spell or he needs to exit the village. Both of which would put him at Aiden’s mercy. I could only put a spell over him temporarily and it would make him sicker but you will need him on your journey.”

            “We need to get him out of the village then. We cannot allow him to die or get sick. We will need him for the journey ahead and we cannot protect ourselves without him.” Laurel said shaking her head.

            “Laurel, you are being a bit over reactive. Let’s move him outside of camp where we can hear an attack if something happens.” Tatiana said.

            “I shall cast an invisibility spell upon him so the vampires cannot see him. Perhaps that will help ward them off.” The old women stood up and said some words over Wendel. He began to fade and soon there was nothing left to be seen of him. Laurel felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped as Wendel’s cold hand touched her.

            “Come Wendel we shall set up a camp for you outside the town.” The old woman said as she shuffled out of the house. Wendel squeezed Laurel’s shoulder once then a shuffling sound was heard as he exited the house. Both the twins stood up and inspected their weapons. Each had their sword and two knives a piece. Laurel pulled the two halves of her sword out. Laurel had an extra days worth of food on her while Tatiana had a small piece of polished metal she used as a mirror. The twins laid their stuff out before them and chose what to put in their belts and what to put in their sacks.

            The old women came back in and collapsed the cauldron. She let the remaining stew fall through the split ends and then put it in a bucket filled with water. “Let’s get you two in tip top shape so you can get back to your quest of getting that blade.”