Laughter rolled over him, filled with malevolent delight.
And then Dimitri Falco strutted into view, preening like a peacock. He circled Battista, rubbing his hands together like a miser about to count his gold.
"Well done," Falco said to the six hulking creatures standing in the shadows. "Well done. Perhaps, when I'm through with you, I will let you go."
Antonio stared at the zombies. They stood unmoving, their faces expressionless, yet he detected a faint trace of comprehension in their eyes. Did they remember who they had been before Falco enthralled them? Were they aware of being under Falco's malevolent spell? Did some last bit of humanity cling desperately to the hope that he would free them from his spell? That he would grant them their freedom once again?
He fought the urge to give voice to his own pain as the silver burned deeper into his skin. It was the worst agony he had ever endured save for the one time he had not made it to his lair before sunrise. That had been a pain so intense, so excruciating, that he had never forgotten it. But this… He was panting now, unable to draw a deep breath.
This was almost as bad. In time, it would be equally lethal.
"Bring him."
With one accord, the six zombies lifted Antonio and followed Falco into the deep woods.
Vicki wandered through the house, her emotions in turmoil. At first she was angry with him. How dare he arouse her again and then abandon her! If he didn't want her, why did he hold her and kiss her until she wanted him, needed him, more than breath itself, and then just walk away? It was cruel and thoughtless. And besides that, he did want her.
She might not have had a lot of experience with men, but she knew desire when she saw it in a man's eyes, not to mention the obvious physical signs.
As the hours passed, anger turned to worry. Where was he? Surely he intended to return? Hadn't he sworn to protect her, no matter what? Was he outside, prowling around the perimeter of the house to make sure Falco wasn't there?
Standing by the front window, she peered out into the night, but it was too dark to see anything. Heavy clouds covered the moon and the stars.
"Antonio, are you out there?"
"He is not on the grounds."
Vicki glanced over her shoulder at the sound of Lady Kathryn's voice. "Do you know where he is?"
The ghost closed her eyes, her brow furrowed, and then she shook her head. "I have no sense of him being nearby."
"Maybe I should go look for him," Vicki said dubiously.
"No! There is evil afoot tonight."
Vicki shivered. In her mind, evil and Dimitri Falco would always be linked together. "Do you know where Antonio takes his rest?"
"Of course."
"And he's not there? You're sure?"
"Aye, quite sure. He never retires before dawn, you know. Poor man. I suppose if one can't move about during the day, then one doesn't waste a moment of the time one has." The ghost flitted around the room, zooming up to the ceiling, twirling around and around in midair. "Sleep," she said. "He curses it while I cannot find it."
"You can't sleep?"
"No. I have no need for it, you know, and yet I miss it dreadfully." She lighted on the top of the cabinet that held the stereo system. "I find it rather odd to miss something I no longer need. 'Tis like… " She frowned a moment. "Like missing one of last year's gowns," she decided. "Do you not find that strange?"
"I guess so," Vicki said absently. She looked out the window again. Where was he?
"Shall I go and look for him?" Lady Kathryn asked. "Would that ease your mind?"
"Can you leave the castle?"
"Of course, though I can't leave the grounds." The ghost smiled wanly. " 'Tis the fault of that horrid Molly MacTavish that I must stay here," she said, her eyes flashing.
"Who's Molly MacTavish?"
"She was a scullery maid. A more troublesome wench never lived. She hated it here, and she hated me because I refused to let her return toScotland. She pushed me down the stairs, you know? And as I lay there, dying, she cursed me, saying I should never know peace in the next life until I had learned to be more charitable. Imagine that! Me, more charitable! If it had not been for me, she and her brat would have been begging on the streets. Ah, well, what's done is done. Wait now, while I go have a look and see if I can find that handsome lout."
It seemed like hours passed before Lady Kathryn returned.
"Did you find him?" Vicki asked anxiously.
"Aye, that I did."
"Is he all right?"
"Nay, I fear his life is in grave danger."
"Where is he? I've got to go to him!"
"Nay, you must not! He is guarded by six huge men who do the bidding of another. Any of them could break you in half."
"Where have they taken him?"
"There is an old lambing shed deep in the heart of the woods that lie west of the castle grounds. 'Tis there he's being held."
"Is he all right? Did he see you?"
Lady Kathryn shook her head, her expression woeful. "They have chained him to the floor with chains as thick as a man's wrist. The six beasts sit in a circle around him, like wolves around a carcass. From time to time they poke him with silver knives to make him bleed."
Vicki moaned softly as she imagined his agony. Wrapping her arms around her waist, she paced the floor. No ordinary men could have laid hold on Antonio. She remembered the creatures that had been enslaved by Falco. Had he created more of them? Oh, why wouldn't he leave them alone? She had done nothing to him!
"Tomorrow," she said, thinking aloud. "Falco will have to go to his lair, wherever that might be." She nodded. The zombies would also be at their weakest in daylight.
"You cannot mean to go after him alone?" Lady Kathryn exclaimed. "'Tis madness!"
The ghost was right, of course. She needed help. She needed Tom Duncan.
Chapter 30
Battista stared blankly at the ceiling of the shed, his hands knotted into tight fists, his breathing shallow and rapid, every muscle in his body taut with pain. It rolled over him and through him in never-ending waves, each more excruciating than the last. His skin was badly blistered where the silver touched his flesh. Each link burned into him, scorching him like the sun he had avoided for the last six hundred years.
He was only vaguely aware of the six zombies that surrounded him, relentlessly poking at him with slender daggers made of silver. The scent of his blood hung heavy in the air.
He tried to concentrate, tried to gather his waning strength, but the silver drained him of energy, and the pain… It was impossible to ignore.
He had seen Lady Kathryn hovering overhead earlier in the evening. He had tried to tell her to go and warn Victoria that Falco was nearby, but the heavy chain around his throat prevented him from speaking.
With what little strength he had left, he cursed himself for his carelessness. He had promised to protect Victoria, and now she was at the castle, defenseless and alone.
Would Falco send his creatures after her? If he did, would the castle's threshold be strong enough to repel them?
He had to get out of here, had to get back to Victoria before it was too late, but he was too weak too move, too weak to do anything but lie there while the silver burned his flesh and Falco's creatures slowly drained him of blood.
Closing his eyes, he prayed for dawn and blessed oblivion.
Chapter 31
Vicki didn't get much sleep that night. She drank gallons of coffee, paced back and forth from one end of the castle to the other while her mind filled with vivid images of Antonio being tortured, bleeding. Lady Kathryn said he was bound with silver chains. She knew what that meant from the books she had read. Falco had had his creatures bind her with silver chains because he'd known it would keep Antonio from freeing her. She wanted to scream at Falco, demand that he leave them alone.
She was on the road to town as soon as dawn's first light brightened the sky. She stopped at the first business she came to and demanded to use the phone. She quickly punched in Bobbie Sue's number, only then remembering that Bobbie Sue and Duncan had gone to visit Bobbie Sue's parents.
On the verge of tears, she hung up the receiver. She had no one else to call, no where else to go for help.
So, she thought, driving home, she would have to rescue Antonio herself.
She went into the parlor and sat down on the sofa. Yawning, she glanced at the clock. It was only a little after eight. She would just close her eyes for a few minutes…
She was walking through the woods, the same dark wood she had seen in her dreams once before. She moaned softly, wanting to wake up, but she couldn't escape the dream. She frowned when she realized one thing had changed. The moon was no longer shining. Now the sun ruled the sky. But it was the same voice warning her not to enter the woods, a voiced she now recognized as Antonio's. Though she yearned to turn and flee, she was again compelled to continue on, and so she moved deeper and deeper into the forest. Deeper and deeper into the darkness that even the sun could not penetrate, until she saw the same small wooden cottage. As it had before, the door opened of its own volition. Once again, she hesitated at the threshold, knowing that if she crossed it, her life would be forever changed. And then she saw Antonio…
Vicki let out a scream when she saw Falco standing behind Antonio. There was no fireplace now, no flickering red and orange shadows on the walls. Instead, there was only blood. Antonio's blood, splattered on the floor and the walls. He cradled the same golden goblet between his hands. He held it out for her to see, and this time she looked inside. Bright red liquid swirled inside the cup. Horror rose from deep inside her. It wasn't his blood. It was hers. Eyes filled with anguish, he lifted the cup to his lips while Dimitri Falco's insane laughter rang out in the night.
Vicki woke with a scream on her lips. A glance at the clock showed it was almost noon.
Rising, she went downstairs. A cup of coffee and a couple of protein bars served as breakfast and lunch.