Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

I swallowed the lump in my throat at the sight of his still body. Werd lay atop the covers flat on his back with his arms on either side of him. I couldn't even tell if he was breathing.

Ben strode over to him and set a hand on his chest. I crept in after him, my eyes darting over the deep shadows that covered every inch of the room. "Is he alive?"

Ben drew his hand away and pursed his lips as he studied the man's pale face. "Yes, though his breathing is very shallow."

I found that I couldn't raise my voice above a whisper. "Do you think we could wake him up?"

Ben folded his arms over his chest and furrowed his brow. "I don't think so, but then again, I'm not sure he's asleep."

I blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

"For natural vampires, their sleep isn't true sleep. They are merely in an immovable state. They can still hear and, if their eyes are open, see all that is around them."

I pointed at Werd. "So he might actually be able to hear us right now?"

"That's a possibility, but I couldn't be sure without asking him later." Ben moved away from the bed and inspected the few bits of furniture that occupied the room. There was a small table in the center and a counter with cupboards close to the door. A kettle hung over the cold hearth, but one look at the myriad of cobwebs from wall to pot told me neither of them had been used in a while.

I wandered over to the window and looked out on the overgrown yard. My heart skipped a beat but I tried to keep my voice calm. "Ben? Where was the fog when we came in here?"

"At the outskirts of the trees, if I recall," he replied as he turned one raised eyebrow at me. "Why?"

I pointed out the window. "Because it's gotten just a little closer."

Ben hurried to my side and looked out. The mist had encroached up to almost the very walls of the small house. I gasped and stumbled back as some of the fog seeped through the gaps between the wall and window. Ben, too, scuttled back and glared at the mist as it tumbled to the floor. The fog crept across the floorboards in our direction. My breath came out in white cloudy wisps.

Ben's wings burst out of his back and he flapped hard. Much was my horror when the wind he created didn't so much as twitch the heavy mist. The fog floated ever closer, forcing us back until I bumped against the front of the mantel.

The mist kept coming, unchecked by Ben or nature. Some of the fog touched the tip of my foot and a bone-chilling cold invaded me. I felt as though some dead hand had reached up and wrapped itself around my heart. My breath came in hard, shallow gasps as Ben, too, jerked back from the touch of the invader.

I leaned down to try to wipe it away and some of the mist touched my left arm. A bright glow emanated from the canister attached to my arm. I jerked my limb away and fumbled with the clasp. Ben's deft hands brushed mine away and opened the clasp. The flute tumbled out and clattered to the floor amid all the mist.

The glow from the instrument dispelled the fog around it and the mist retreated like a frightened animal. The light from the Prima flute chased after the fog and filled the whole room with its gentle warmth.

Something urged me to pick up the flute and the light from the object burst outward, expanding well beyond the little cabin. The mist retreated into the woods, revealing the trees for the first time since our arrival.

It also disturbed Werd. The man shifted on his bed and his face scrunched up in pain. His air came out in sharp breaths and he clutched the sheets beneath him.

"Extinguish it!" Ben shouted as he grabbed the flute.

The light vanished and the room fell into shadows, but they didn't feel as foreboding as before. Ben hurried over to Werd who had fallen back onto the sheets.

My heart quickened as I followed him to the bed. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Ben set a hand on Werd's chest and pursed his lips. "I believe your purifying light hurt him."

My heart dropped as I beheld Werd's ghastly white face. I grasped the flute in both hands and pressed it against my chest. "Will he be okay?"

Ben drew his hands away and nodded. "Yes, but we had better allow him to rest." He turned to me and offered me a small smile. "Don't blame yourself for this. You weren't the one to put the curse on him nor had the mist attack us."

I bit my lower lip but nodded. Ben strode past me and over to the nearest window where he looked out. "It appears you've done us a big favor, though. I don't see any sign of the fog from here."

I sidled up to him and looked down at the flute. "But what kind of fog was it that I needed to use this light to get it away? Even your wings couldn't blow it off."

Ben pursed his lips as he shook his head. "I wish I knew. There are spells for controlling the elements, of course, but infusing some kind of cursing poison into it is something I've never seen before, especially with the variety of afflictions my aunt mentioned."

"So what now?"

He nodded at the east. "Now we go see what we might learn in Scima. Ferox will appreciate the chance to get some fresh air."

We returned to the stables and found the said horse impatiently waiting in his stall. Aunt Dreda owned a small coach to which we hooked Ferox. The mighty steed trotted out of the stables and down the drive to the main road. I noticed the fog hadn't retreated very far from the house, but it kept its distance as we rolled onto the main thoroughfare.

We took the right-hand path and the road widened after a couple of miles. Small farms popped up in hollowed-out nooks in the forest and animals grazed near the fences watching curiously as we passed. Small driveways with arches led to large barnyards. The homes were simple clapboards with chimneys made of round stones scavenged from the local area. I glimpsed women in simple but colorful dresses and scarves over their brown braided hair. Men in coveralls worked the plows behind heavy horses and didn't even turn a head as we passed.

I couldn't help but notice something else about the area. "Why are there little dolls on the fence posts?" I asked my companion.

Indeed, there were tiny pieces of wood shaped into men and nailed to the side of the posts that faced the road.

"They're talismans to ward off evil," Ben told me. "They act as guards to fight against curses and other black magic."

Another unusual feature caught my attention as we passed another arch that led to a farmhouse. "What are the symbols over the arches? Those round wooden blocks of wood."

"Those represent the sun," Ben explained as the corners of his lips twitched upward. "That symbol is said to ward off the unknown dangers in the shadows."

I lifted an eyebrow. "I'm starting to get the feeling that the people around here are a little superstitious."

"That would be one of their quirks," Ben revealed with a teasing smile.

I lifted an eyebrow. "Any other quirks I need to know about?"

"The amount of their superstitions would be enough to fill a tome, so I doubt they need any other."

We passed by another farmhouse entrance where a scarecrow-like figure loomed large over the fence. "What about that? What does that one mean?"

Ben chuckled as we drove past. "It means they don't like one of the local politicians."

I fell back against the carriage seat and snorted. "I guess that must be a universal meaning."