He leaned down and brushed his warm lips against her ear. "Quiet, my love." Maggie stiffened and stopped her yelling.
There came another, more impatient knock. Albert opened the door and revealed two police officers.
One of them stepped forward and tipped their hat to the servant. "Good afternoon. We're investigating a missing person case. A man by the name of Felix Blake was last seen driving his car along this road the day he disappeared. Did he happen to stop by here?"
Albert shook his head. "No, sir."
The officer half-turned to the driveway. "Are you sure? We saw at least three sets of tracks on the road."
"We have had visitors lately, but not this gentleman you mentioned," Albert explained.
The officer pulled out an iPad and stencil. "I see. Who owns this place?"
Albert pursed his lips. "Mr. Randall Forrest."
The officers glanced at each other before the talkative one returned his attention to Albert. "The owner of the finance firm?"
Albert bowed his head. "The very same."
"Does Mr. Forrest keep close track of his employees?"
Albert arched an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I know what you mean, sir."
The officer tapped the screen of his iPad. "What I mean is this missing person is one of Mr. Forrest's employees. In fact, he was just promoted the day before his disappearance, and then demoted on Mr. Forrest's order." The officer peered over the top of the iPad and studied Albert. "Did Mr. Blake make any attempt to contact your boss in person or otherwise?"
Albert shook his head. "None at all. I'm sorry I can't be of more help, gentlemen, but we have no information for you."
The officer frowned, but pocketed his iPad. "I see. Well, we might have some questions for you later, and for Mr. Forrest."
Albert bowed his head. "I will be sure to inform Mr. Forrest of your visit, and prospective visits."
The officer glanced past Albert at the interior of the home. A smirk slipped onto his lips as he nodded. "You do that. Anyway, good day."
"Good day," Albert replied.
The servant shut the door and the silhouettes turned and disappeared down the front path.
Adrian released Maggie who stumbled forward and spun around to glare at him. "Now don't you see you need to release the man? The police suspect my father and you of kidnapping him."
Adrian cupped his chin in his fingers and furrowed his brow. "This is rather more complicated than I expected."
"There's nothing complicated about it," she argued. She gestured to the door below them. "Just release him and tell the cops where he is!"
He dropped his hand and shook his head. "It's rather more difficult than that, I'm afraid. You see, I ate him."
Her eyes widened as she stumbled back a few feet. "Y-you what?"
He shrugged. "I ate him. My beast must feed, and it much prefers human flesh to any other meat."
Maggie covered her gaping mouth with her hands. "How. . .how could you?"
He flashed her a fang-filled smile. "I am a werewolf, after all, and not all the bad publicity is undeserved."
Maggie turned around and fled down the flight of stairs. Albert stepped into her path and blocked the door. She skidded to a stop and heard the stairs groan behind her as Adrian followed her footsteps.
"Your innocence is admirable, Maggie, but in this instance I cannot allow you to indulge in it," Adrian told her.
She half-turned to him and glared at him. "How can you do this? How can you murder so many people and not care?"
Adrian stopped three feet from her. He studied her face for a moment before he closed his eyes and sighed. "I can no choice in the matter. In our world it is either kill or be killed."
She took a step away from him. "That isn't my world."
He pointed at her chest. "It is so long as you hold the power of that mirror."
"But I didn't ask for that power!" she argued.
He chuckled. There was no mirth in the sound. "Fate cares little for our wishes." He opened his arms and frowned. "Do you believe I want to exist as a monster with these uncontrollable urges? That I wished to become as you know me?" Maggie pursed her lips. He slowly walked toward her. His bright eyes caught her gaze and held her in place. "I do what I must to survive. There's nothing good or evil about that. It's merely how I must exist." Adrian reached her and set his hands on her shaking shoulders. He cupped one of her cheeks in his palm and smiled down at her. "Though I must admit my life has gotten rather more interesting since you entered it."
Maggie couldn't stop the blush from slipping onto her cheeks. She shook her head and his hand off her cheek, and frowned at the man. "I still can't forget what you did to that man at the hospital, or that man in the woods."
He smiled. "I wouldn't have you develop amnesia. It's quite an annoyance."
Her eyes flickered from Adrian to Albert and back. "So what do we do now? How can I clear my father's name?"
Adrian chuckled. "Selfless, as always, and I have a plan that needs just your selflessness. I need you to transform me into Blake."
8
Maggie blinked at him. "You need me to do what?"
Adrian stepped back and opened his arms. "I need you to change my appearance to that of my former employee so I can impersonate him for a short while."
Maggie's eyes widened and she furiously shook her head. "B-but I don't know how!"
"Nonsense. You performed the magic before," he pointed out.
"But I don't know how I did that!" she argued.
He smiled and shook his head. "There isn't much difficulty to it. Merely focus on my body and imagine Blake being in my place. The magic should do the rest."
Her mouth dropped open. "But I don't know what he looks like!"
Adrian dropped his arms and arched an eyebrow. "You don't?"
She shook her head. "No! I never met him!"
Adrian cupped his chin in one hand and furrowed his brow. "I see." His eyes flickered to Albert. "Is his file still in the house?"
Albert shook his head. "No, sir. It was returned yesterday."
"And his personal items? Are they still here?"
The servant nodded. "Yes, sir. I haven't yet destroyed them."
Adrian dropped his hand. "That means we must rummage through his wallet for his identification. It won't be as perfect as the a larger view of him, but it might do the trick." He held his arm out to Maggie and smiled. "Will you trust me to help your father? I haven't failed him yet."
Maggie frowned, but accepted his arm. He turned them to the back of the house and the rear door. They went outside to the backyard. It was a wilderness of vines, half-collapsed stone walls, and large, overgrown trees that cast shadows over the corners of the yard.
One such tree hung over a small stone building that was stuck in the far corner of the property. The thatched roof was covered in a thick carpet of grass and rotten leaves. There were no windows, and the entrance was a heavy wooden door. A large lock hung from a thick metal plate. Adrian removed a skeleton key from his pocket, but paused and glanced to his right where stood Maggie.
"This might not be pleasant," he warned her.
Maggie steadied herself and pursed her lips. "I'll do it if it will help my dad."
He smiled. "Brave girl."
Adrian unlocked the heavy lock and pushed open the thick door. The hinges complained through the use of deep groans as the heavy wood swung into the building. The weak afternoon light stretched across the dirt floor and revealed short wooden benches on either side of them. The benches were set against the walls and on their dusty tops were ancient, rusted gardening tools such as hedge clippers and twine.
Adrian stooped into the low space and walked over to the far right corner. The dirt floor was newly swept with a broom. The tell-tale cleaning item leaned against the opposite bench. Adrian knelt in front of the far-right bench and brushed away the dirt with his hand. He revealed a wooden panel with a hole.
Adrian stuck his hand in the hole and lif
ted the board to reveal a hidden space. The top of a ladder could be seen, but only the first few rungs were visible. The others were lost in the darkness.
He slid into the hole and propped himself on the ladder before he grinned at Maggie. "I'd invite you to go first, but I believe you'd insist on my going."
Maggie nodded. "Definitely."
"Then follow me."
Adrian climbed down out of sight. Maggie reluctantly followed him down the hole. The ladder was twelve feet tall, and by the time she reached the bottom a primitive oil lamp was lit. The light allowed her to see the space contained a crudely-cut passage that led to the left and right of the ladder. Roots from the surrounding trees sank into the earth and pushed out the dirt from the walls, revealing themselves to her eyes. Little clods of the fallen soil cluttered the passage, and here and there were nubs of discolored candles.
Adrian held up the lantern and the weak light glistened off his glowing eyes. "Just a little further and we'll be there."
She arched an eyebrow. "Where is 'there?'"
He grinned and half-turned away from her. "You'll see."
Adrian led her down the right-hand path in the opposite direction of the house. The passage went for fifty feet before they came to another door much like the one that sealed the old gardener's shed.
Maggie's foot struck something half-buried in the dirt. She stooped and squinted. A piece of an ancient green bottle stared back at her. Strange symbols were etched on the surface of the bottle.
Maggie looked up at Adrian who stood over her. "What is this place?"
"It was once a meeting place for Druids," Adrian answered as he turned away from her. He unlocked another heavy lock with a different skeleton key. "They prayed to the forest god to vanquish their enemies, and sacrificed to the roots."
Maggie frowned. "What kind of sacrifices?"
A crooked grin slipped onto his lips as he swung open the door. "The most potent kind."
A potent smell wafted through the door and washed over them. Maggie gasped and slapped her hand over her face to stifle the scent. It wreaked of putrid rot.
Adrian held up the lamp and revealed a small, circular room. The walls were covered in the thick bare roots of the trees as they slithered in and out of the walls. The soft bark was covered in splotches of a blackish-red dye. In the center of the floor was a large, stone-lined pit half-filled with black ash. Across the pit and opposite the door stood a small, new wooden table. On the table was a heavy metal box, rusted and with a small lock stuck through its front clasp.
Adrian strode over to the box. Maggie reluctantly followed his light into the small room, but avoided the pit by staying close to the wall. She yelped when her shoulder brushed against one of the soft roots. She spun around and stumbled back. The back of her heel hit one of the large rocks that lined the pit. She teetered backward and flailed her arms.
Adrian's strong arm wrapped around her and pulled her against his side. He held up the lamp to shine the light on their faces, particularly his grinning one. "Did I forget to mention to watch your step?"
Maggie squirmed free of his grasp and brushed her dirty shoulder. "I'm quite fine." She brushed a little harder, but the reddish dirt wouldn't come off. "Why won't this dirt come off?"
Adrian chuckled and walked back to the table. "That's because it's not dirt."
She frowned. "Then what is it?"
He set the lamp on the table and pulled out another key. "It's dried blood."
Maggie felt her own blood drain from her face. "B-blood?"
He nodded as he opened the box. "Yes. The Druids sacrificed people to their forest god for the world to rejuvenate itself. They spread the blood on the roots to ensure the god received their sacrifice." He glanced over his shoulder and nodded at the pit. "The rest of the body was burned in the pit, and the ashes were removed after cremation and spread over the soil beneath us."
Maggie yelped and stood on her tiptoes. She looked down at the dirt floor and cringed when she noticed her footprints in the dark soil. She'd been walking on dead people.
Adrian shut and locked the box and turned to her. He tucked a leather wallet into his coat. "There's no need to worry. The sacrifices are long dead," he pointed out as he tucked a wallet into his coat.
"B-but they murdered people! And they're still here!" she protested.
Adrian moved to stand beside her. He lifted the lamp to reveal the extensive net of roots that traveled across the ceiling. The soft bark was smothered in the dried blood of the Druid victims.
He furrowed his brow. His voice was soft and quiet. "They believed death was a necessity for them. It had to occur for the world to continue."
She glared at him. "It's still murder."
He lowered the lamp and shrugged. "Everything is in the eye of the beholder. Now we should leave this place before we catch our death of cold and become a sacrifice."
Adrian led her out of the tunnels and back to the gardener's shed where he hid the entrance. The sun had set during their exploration, and the world was shrouded in shadows and darkness. They followed the winding garden path back to the house where the well-lit hall greeted them, as did Albert. His expression was tense.
"The police returned while you were occupied, Master," Albert informed them. "They were adamant in speaking with you, but I informed them you were out."
Adrian arched an eyebrow. "They had more questions about the case?"
Albert nodded. "Yes, and wished to take you down to the station to ask them."
Adrian turned to Maggie. "Our time grows short. Let's see if you can control your powers."
Maggie reluctantly followed him upstairs to his chambers. They paused before the fire, and he pulled out the wallet he had tucked into his jacket and held it out to her. "You'll find Blake's license in here. Study it, and we will see what your powers can do."
Maggie took the wallet, but glanced from the smooth cover to Adrian's expectant face. "The police suspect you now, don't they?"
He nodded. "So it seems."
"Then they don't think my dad had anything to do with it?"
Adrian bowed his head. "Their questions would lead one to that conclusion."
Maggie furrowed her brow as she looked down at the wallet. "Then. . .then do I need to do this?"
"No."
She looked up into his face. He stared back at her with a steady, penetrating gaze. "I won't pretend to be a good man. I have performed atrocities and sacrificed people in order to stave off my own destruction. However-" he clasped her chin between his fingers and gazed into her bright eyes, "-I have never cared for anyone as I care for you, and that being the case, I won't risk your safety." Adrian took the wallet from her hand and tucked it into his coat before he stepped back. "You may leave."
Maggie blinked at the man. "I. . .I can just go?"
A soft smile slipped onto his lips. "You have always been free to leave."
She frowned. "But what will happen to you?"
He shrugged. "I expect I'll be taken to the station and tried for the disappearance of Mr. Blake, though without a body they can't convict me of murder."
Maggie furrowed her brow. "But. . .but will they find out you're a werewolf?"
Adrian sighed and nodded. "Undoubtedly. My beast manifests itself often when I'm under strain, and a long incarceration will be a great strain."
Maggie wrapped her arms around herself and bit her lower lip. "Then. . .then you won't be coming back?"
Adrian closed his eyes and shook his head. "No."
The young woman felt a tinge of pain in her heart. She pursed her lips and hung her head. "I. . .maybe I don't want that to happen to you."
He arched an eyebrow. "Even though I am guilty of his death?"
She cringed. "I. . .I know that, but I still don't want you to leave. Especially not that way."
He grasped her shoulders. She looked up into his smiling face and shimmering eyes. "Then you will agree to help me?"
Maggie sighed, but nodded
her head. "Yes, if I can."
He grinned. "I'm sure you can."
9
Adrian pulled out the wallet and handed it to her. "Study his face and focus on changing my face to his."
Maggie opened the wallet. Inside were the usual spare dollar bills and credit cards. Nestled among them was Blake's driver's license. Even in that photo he smirked. She studied his face and her eyes flickered up to Adrian as he waited patiently in front of her.
"So I just need to focus on you being him?" she asked him.
He chuckled. "Something like that. The resemblance will only be skin-deep."
Maggie furrowed her brow and squinted her eyes at Adrian as she tried to imagine Blake's face on his body. She started back when her body began to glow. The light vanished.
"Focus and don't be afraid of the light," Adrian scolded her. "It's only your powers manifesting themselves."
She pursed her lips and studied the photo again. The light returned to envelope her. "Don't be so pushy. This isn't as easy as it looks."
"Maggie."
She glared at the dark face in the picture. "What?"
"Maggie, look up."
She raised her eyes and gasped. Adrian stood in front of her in his impeccable suit, but his face belonged to Blake. Maggie started back and gaped at the strange match of body and head.
He spread his arms and grinned at her. "Does this look not suit me?"
Maggie glared at him. "No, it doesn't."
"Then you prefer the old look?" he teased.
She blushed. "M-maybe I do, but the head is too small for your body."
Adrian glanced down at himself. "I believe you're right, but it can't be helped. Fortunately, our foes need only see my face and recognize it as that of Blake for this ruse to work."
Maggie raised an eyebrow. "What kind of ruse are we doing?"
He flashed her a smile. It was unnerving being presented with that unfamiliar face but the familiar sly grin. "The simplest kind. I will impersonate the late Mr. Blake, at least from the neck-up, in his car and when certain we have fooled the authorities into believing he is alive his vehicle will have an 'accident' at the cliffs around the bay."
"You're sure this will work?" she asked him.
"There's only one way to find out." He strode to the door and paused with his hand wrapped around the knob. Adrian turned to her and grinned. "If this doesn't quite work out to my plans, I at least have the comfort in freeing your father of suspicion."