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The fog enshrouded us in its cold embrace and obscured anything ten feet beyond our current position. I stayed close to Ben’s heels. Too close.
“Sorry!” I exclaimed as my toes stepped on the back of his shoe.
He stumbled a bit but caught himself and looked over his shoulder with an amused grin. There was a tense look in his eyes, however, that revealed his worry. “Would you like me to carry you?”
“That wouldn’t be such a bad idea. . .” I murmured as I cast a wary eye at the thick fog.
Ben nodded at the trail ahead of us. “Werd’s house is just ahead.”
We walked another fifty yards and the path opened to a tiny clearing. The trees had been cut back long ago, leaving weathered and rotten stumps. I could see the wild grass had once been controlled but of late the sod was now some two feet tall and leaned up against the walls of the only building in the area. That was a small hut about ten by ten feet, with a few plain windows looking out toward the path. A stone chimney stuck out the left wall and the door stood in the middle front wall.
Ben led us over to the door and rapped the back of his knuckle against the wood. There was no immediate reply, so I slipped over to one of the windows and peeked inside. Heavy curtains blocked my view.
“You think he’s in there?” I asked my companion.
“More than likely,” Ben replied as he tried the knob.
It was unlocked and he swung open the door. The door creaked inward and revealed the single-room house. I scooted up to Ben’s side and peeked into the heavy darkness.
A pale figure lay on a bed in a corner farthest from the front wall. It was Werd.
CHAPTERTEN
I swallowedthe 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.
