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Chapter 6

Monday, 27th May 1994
Same day

Gerde was sitting in front of Schloss Ritter's main entrance, her right hand shielding her eyes from the late afternoon sun while she anxiously searched the horizon. Still no sign of Grace's car... She had been gone since early that morning.

Suddenly deciding she needed fellow human comfort, Gerde started down the path to Rittersberg. She headed for the Gasthof, where she was hoping to find the Smiths. The little dining hall was empty, so she asked Werner Huber to summon the couple down.

"OOh! I'm so glad to see you, dear! Come, sit here at the table, you look like you need something to eat."

That was Mrs. Smith all right. She started stuffing food into her till Gerde felt there was no possible way anything else could fit inside.

"And where's that sweet little Grace?"

"She ish gone shinsh thish monin..." It's hard to make a worried face with your mouth full, but Gerde tried nevertheless.

"Oh, I know! She went to find her Schattenjoger, right? Tsk, tsk, poor girl... Easy now, don't choke on it dear!" she instructed Gerde, seeing how she tried to swallow up all the food in one gulp.

After a bit of a struggle, Gerde finally managed to squeeze the food down her esophagus and inhaled a deep contented breath. The world seemed brighter on a full stomach. After all, Grace hadn't been gone for an unusually long time. Maybe she had had a hard time finding the lodge... It was definitely too early to worry. She flashed the Smiths a happy smile and made herself comfortable in her chair.

Just then, the peaceful silence outside was broken by the angry rumbling of a car driving up the road to the Schloss.

"Come along, I think our Grace is back!!"

By the time the panting Mrs. Smith and the stuffed up Gerde had made it to the main hall, Grace had already rushed up to her room and banged the door shut.

The two anxious women climbed the stairs to Grace's room. Gerde made a tentative knock.

"Grace, can we come in?"

"Go away! Leave me alone!!" Grace sounded like she was in tears.

"Please, dear, let us inside! Maybe we can help!" Mrs. Smith's try had even less success. There came no response, only sobs. The two women looked at each other, then Gerde tried to open the door. It was locked.

"Oh dear, oh dear, we have to get inside!" said Mrs. Smith in panic. "Who knows what these quiet, balanced girls can do when they are really desperate!"

"I know another entrance to the room. Come!" and Gerde rushed into her bedroom. Mrs. Smith trotted along.

"Are you sure I'll fit through this closet, dear?"

"Ja, it was big enough for Wolf... er, I am sure you will."

They exited through the closet into Grace's bedroom and the first thing they saw was her on the bed, sobbing into the pillow. They approached her cautiously and Mrs. Smith put a comforting arm on her shoulder. Grace started violently and turned around. Her eyes were red with crying and the pillow looked moist.

"I told you to leave me alone!" she shouted angrily and threw her head back into the pillow.

"Grace, please tell us what happened."

"He won't come home! He doesn't want me, he wants to stay with his... his..." and she burst into another uncontrolled fit of sobs.

"But you knew that when you left to search for him..."

"You can't understand! You weren't there to see him... nurse that SOB!"

"Calm down, Grace. I will fetch you some water," said the practical Gerde and went out in the hall, returning shortly with a glass of refreshing water and a sedative. She made Grace drink it down.

"Thanks... It's better. Sorry..." Grace was slowly becoming her coherent self again.

"Now can you tell us what happened, dear?" asked Mrs. Smith gently.

"Was the lodge hard to find?" added Gerde.

"No, not really", began Grace in a weak voice. "I looked around and saw signs they were there, so I dropped von Glower's letter. Just as I was about to leave..."

***

"So you are saying that von Glower is ill?" interrupted Gerde.

"Yes, he was in a bad state. Gabriel had no idea what was wrong with him. The pathetic wretch begged for my help. But of course I walked away," she added with gloomy pride.

"Dear, that wasn't the smartest thing to do, you know." Mrs. Smith shook her head with a sad expression.

"What do you mean?? Seeing them together really hurt! I couldn't ever help that werewolf mate of his! I was ready to shoot him, for God's sake!"

"But Grace, you have to see it. If von Glower dies now, Gabriel will never be free of the curse!"

"It would serve him right, the ungrateful pig!!"

"Grace, you know I hate von Glower as much as you do, but this time we should think about Gabriel."

"Gerde's right, dear. Don't you still want your Schattenjoger back?"

Grace sighed. "Yes... more than ever. But I know now it's never going to happen... And I don't believe von Glower was as invalid as Gabriel thought him to be," she continued in a more matter-of-fact tone.

"I don't know dear, you said yourself Gabriel was very worried and he didn't know the cause. That sounds serious..."

"I'm fed up with saving Gabriel's butt against his will! He chose his way, so be it. But if he didn't need me when he ran away on the easy path, he shouldn't need me now when he steps on the first thorns."

"There was one little joke Wolfgang used to say to me. 'You must swallow your pride before it grows too big and swallows you.'"

Grace smiled. It was nice to have friendly shoulders to cry on. But she wasn't convinced yet.

"So what do you suggest, that I just go there and say, 'Hail, master, I bow to your gracious commands!'"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find something to say, dear!" Mrs. Smith looked relieved by the bright turn the conversation had taken.

"But this is insane! I can't help him, I'm no doctor!"

"Grace, I think if von Glower is ill then it is not an ordinary illness. I do not know of any harm strong enough to keep a werewolf sick for much time. What they can heal, they heal quickly. What they cannot heal, kills them as quickly."

"But how can we find out what it is? I wouldn't know where to start the research."

"That's why you must go back to the lodge, dear, and try to learn more."

Grace shuddered. "I can't. At least not now. I don't know what I could catch them doing there... It's gotten dark, anyway..."

"Then sleep on it, I am sure the night will bring you fresh thoughts."

"Yes, dear, you need to rest now. We'll just make a nice warm fire in this fireplace here and then leave you by yourself."

Grace looked at them with gratitude. "Thank you for coming. And please forgive me..."

"Oh, don't you worry your little head about it! Sleep tight!"

"Goodnight, Grace!"

The empty room felt warm and cozy, and the loneliness didn't depress Grace as it had before. She got into the bed, wrapped a fluffy blanket around her and began to think.

So many confusing things had happened these last days! The opera, the spy business, the dream...

He said 'silver', and his medallion was silver. I wonder what was inside it... There has to be a hidden meaning to this!

She played with a hand through her hair and looked into the fire.

I can't believe we were so close...

The random pattern of the flames started to change into a familiar shape. What was that..?

Von Glower.

The fiery face seemed to mock her. Don't you wish I was here? But I'm not! I live and you're the one burning inside!

Girl, you really need some rest...

With a resolute gesture, she drew the curtains over her head.

***

At the hunting lodge Gabriel was silently closing the door to Friederich's room behind him.

He was so down with leaden weariness that he almost couldn't feel the relief. It's really over now, everything is fine once again, he kept telling himself, but the overrepeated words sounded empty and meaningless.

I'll think about everything tomorrow... Maybe it'll make some sense.

He had just opened the door to his own room when he remembered Grace's earlier visit. A satisfied grin crept over his face.

Ha! That'll show her! She was soo damn sure I wouldn't pull this out on my own!

And Gabriel drifted away in pleasant fantasies of Gracie bowing to his superior intellect with a humble adoring expression on her face.

Why did she take off in such a hurry? She should've stayed and taken notes!

There was something at the back of his mind about Grace's leaving... What was it? He had asked her help, she had replied something bitchy and turned her back on him, and then... what? He had given all his attention to Friederich, hoping he wasn't too disturbed by the awful creaking. But it was more than that...

By now Gabriel was walking around his room, looking from time to time at the dark woods outside. For some strange reason, he was feeling increasingly nervous. Was it because of the menacing dark clouds that shrouded the moon? Or was it the unnatural silence that made him so strangely self-conscious? He shook away the eerie feeling and walked to the window to draw the curtains.

Just as he approached the narrow pane he caught a small flicker of light in the corner of the eye. He opened the window to have a better look.

Now what the hell is that?

The light seemed to fly at an incredible speed in a smooth wavy movement among the dark trees. Under Gabriel's puzzled gaze, it kept getting farther away and soon it was swallowed by darkness.

A swift chilly wind made him shudder. He shut back the window, drew the curtains and leaned his back against them.

Must've been some big forest firefly... He fought back the creepy sensation rising inside his stomach. It's all right now, everything is over... But the empty words had no soothing effect any more.

He suddenly felt the urge to check on Friederich. He tiptoed out on the corridor, opened his friend's door ever so slightly and carefully looked inside, to be met by the sight of Friederich's open eyes.

Embarrassment made its way into Gabriel's expression. His fears seemed so stupid now.

"Sorry to disturb you, didn't realize you were still up..."

He felt like kicking himself for not finding anything meaningful to say.

Friederich's face was lit by a smile. "I fell asleep as soon as I put my head down... but I was just awoken by a bright light shining in my eyes..." A worried look clouded his handsome face briefly. He shook some troubling thought away and eyed Gabriel inquiringly. "What is the matter, Gabriel? Why have you come here in the middle of the night?"

"Uh, nothin'. Just wanted to make sure you're okay, I guess."

"Please, come and sit here next to me," said Friederich, pointing to the side of the bed. Gabriel hesitated only a little and then he obliged.

The room seemed to have become smaller, more intimate. Gabriel was very much aware of the mere inches separating their faces. He stole a look at von Glower's deep eyes and quickly looked down.

Friederich smiled at his uneasiness. "You know, I will never be able to thank you enough for what you did for me today."

Gabriel grinned with pleasure and looked up, but, seeing the gratitude in the blue eyes, he made a serious face.

"I just returned what was yours..."

"True enough... But I still owe you my life."

"You owe me nothin', Friederich. I am only startin' to repay my debt."

He stood silent for a while, pondering what he had just said. It was an amazing thing to find out, but it was true. He was in Friederich's debt. Not only for his own betrayal, but for his friend's gift as well. And for the long life that was just beginning. He glanced into the handsome face of the other man and silently told him of his own gratitude.

They stood eye to eye for a long time. Gabriel felt his uneasiness go away, replaced by a warm, secure feeling of companionship. In the friendliness of the small room he allowed his thoughts to drift away, reliving the morning's insanity of the little grey cave.

"Where are you now, Gabriel?" Friederich softly asked.

"Inside the twilight..." came the whispered reply. "And I'm not alone..."

Friederich gently pulled his friend towards him. Gabriel looked into his lover's grey sparkling gaze and closed his eyes, waiting for the passionate delirium to carry him away once more.

continue to chapter 7 >>

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