If what Glenna said was true, now was my chance to find out the truth, to truly know if Vincent was the monster I sought. We would both find the answers we sought. I leaned back on my feet and watched him convulse on the floor. Here could I now prove to myself that this man was the monster I sought. I had only to wait and watch.
Vincent grasped his right arm with his left and curled into a tight ball. His right hand flexed and fisted. He twisted his spine until I thought he'd break his back. His breath came in terrible pants. Each breath was a struggle. Each second was an eternity in pain.
It was the watching that forced me into action. His body was wracked with such pain. I closed my eyes against his agony, but I couldn't block out the sounds of his cries.
"Leila!" he screamed.
My shoulders slumped. I opened my eyes and pursed my lips. "No." Not this way. Not like this. I grabbed his shoulders and shook him as hard as I could. "Vincent! Vincent, wake up!" I yelled.
The old woman cackled. "You can't reach him! No one can reach him except-"
Vincent's eyes flew open and he sat up. The old woman started back. Her eyes fell on me and she pursed her lips, but she said nothing.
I ignored her and looked Vincent over. "Are you all right?" I asked him.
He leaned forward and clutched his head in one shaking hand. Tears streamed down his face. "What. . .what the hell was that?" he whispered.
"A nightmare?" I guessed.
He closed his eyes and shook his head. "No, they were. . .I think they were memories."
"Do you remember what you saw?" I asked him.
"I was in the city, but I wasn't alone. Someone was with me, and then they were gone. The city changed to a white room, and somebody came towards me with a needle. I tried to pull away, but I couldn't. I-" He shook his head. "I don't know. I can't remember."
I set a hand on his shoulder. "It's all right. Don't try to remember too much at once."
He opened his eyes and stared ahead of him. "Maybe it's better this way. Maybe the memories are too horrible."
"Or perhaps it was just a nightmare," Glenna spoke up. She clasped her hands behind her back and waddled over to us. A smile graced her lips. "My herbs can have strange effects on people."
I whipped my head to her and narrowed my eyes. "You knew the Proxy Plant would do this to him, didn't you?" I accused her.
She waved her hand at me and shook her head. "I thought there was a chance it would induce nightmares, but it was a chance we were both willing to make, wasn't it?" I winced.
Vincent glanced between us. "What are you two talking about? What's a Proxy Plant?"
A sly smile slipped onto Glenna's lips. "You're little mistress here-"
"It's nothing," I interrupted.
Vincent frowned. "It doesn't sound like nothing."
"It was just a little indigestion," I insisted. I glanced at Glenna. "You said the plant might not agree with guys. I guess you were right."
Glenna scrutinized my face. "I also said it would be a big change for him."
I managed a tense smile. "Looks like you were right. It was a big change for his stomach. It looked like he was about to explode from the pressure. That's what you were trying to warn me about, wasn't it?"
"Yes, his stomach. There was much gas in him," she agreed. Her narrowed eyes continued o watch me as she turned to Vincent. "We'll avoid using that plant for breakfast, and you should be fine after a short sleep."
I nodded at the roof. "It's late, and it sounds like the rain's stopped." The patter on the roof was gone. "We might be able to leave today, but not if we're exhausted."
Glenna covered her mouth to stifle a yawn. "You're quite right. Tomorrow I'll fetch some different herbs for breakfast tomorrow to soothe his stomach before you go on your way."
"That'd be great," I agreed.
Vincent blinked at us. "But-" I tossed his blanket over his head.
"Get some sleep," I ordered him.
I crawled over to my bed and slipped beneath the pile of furs. Glenna retreated to her bed. Vincent lay down and faced me with his accusing eyes, but I rolled over so my back was turned to him.
"Goodnight, Leila," he whispered.
I closed my eyes. "Goodnight, Vincent."
CHAPTER 7
Sleep somehow came to me. I didn't wake up until a hand shook my shoulder.
"Leila? Leila, wake up," came Vincent's voice.
My eyes fluttered open. Vincent knelt over me with a smile on his face. Behind him Glenna stoked the fires. On one arm was her basket. She set the poker down and turned to us.
"All right, now, I'll fetch those herbs and some fresh roots for your trip. A hearty breakfast and you'll be all set to leave," she cooed.
I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. "Would you like some help?"
She shook her head. "Not this time. The herbs aren't far and the basket won't be so full. I'll return within an hour." She shuffled over to the door.
"Good luck," Vincent called.
Glenna bowed her head and slipped outside. I waited until the door shut before I flung aside the pile of furs. I scrambled to my feet and rushed over to the entrance.
Vincent furrowed his brow. "Is something."
"Shh," I hissed.
I heard nothing, so I risked opening the door a crack. The porch was empty. The skies were a light gray with clouds, but there was no rain. Glenna's shadowy figure disappeared into the trees at the left in the direction of the main path. I shut the door and spun around to face Vincent. He knelt beside my bed.
"We have to hurry." I rushed to our blanket and spread the four corners far apart. "Grab all the food you can find while I look around."
His eyes widened and he stood. "What? Why?" he asked me.
"Start packing the food," I ordered him.
I swept my eyes over the room. The dresser caught my attention. I strode over to it and opened the drawers starting from the top. Nothing but clothes and moth balls. I knelt in front of the final drawer.
"But what are you looking for?" he persisted.
"For something that will tell us what's going on."
"Could you tell me what's going on?" he wondered.
I stood and swept my eyes over the small cabin. "Last night was no nightmare. She put something called Proxy Plant in the soup."
He frowned. "How do you know all of this?"
I set my hands on top of the dresser and sighed. "Because I agreed to let her put it in the soup."
His eyes widened and he took a step towards me. "Why would you do something like that without telling me?"
I shut my eyes. "I. . .I thought it was to bring back your memories, but now I know it was supposed to force you to change into your werewolf form."
He started back. "I. . .did I really change?"
I shook my head. "No. If it was going to happen my waking you up stopped it." The next place I looked was the fire. I poked at the ashes with the fire stick. Nothing.
"But if it's true I would have turned into. . .if I would have changed into a monster-" He shook his head. "Why would she want to do that?"
I set the poker to the side and moved over to her bed. "That's what we need to find out. If you're not going to pack the food than help me look."
Vincent looked around. "Where should I start?"
"I don't know. Anywhere, just hurry," I told him. Vincent walked over to the fireplace. He leaned down and studied the rocks around the open fire. I stopped my searching and sighed. "I've already searched there."
"Oh, s-ouch!" When he straightened the top of his head knocked against the arch of the hearth. "Those stones are hard."
I rolled my eyes. "At least you hit it with your head."
He blushed and looked away. His eyes fell on the space between the dresser and he frowned. "Did you check this door?"
I froze and turned to him. "What door?"
He pointed at the wall. The chimney hid the object from my sight. "The door right there."
I strode over
to his side and my eyes widened. A three-by-three foot door protruded an inch from the wall. The entrance was carved to blend in exactly with the log walls.
"Did you open it?" I asked him.
Vincent shook his head and winced. No." He rubbed the back and his eyes lit up. They fell on the mantel. "But I noticed it after I hit my head. There has to be-"
"-a secret switch," I finished. I leaned towards the hearth and brushed my hand over the arch. My fingers hit a small button made to resemble a rock. I pressed it and heard a small click come from behind the door. "So that's it."
"I've never seen a cabin have one of those," Vincent commented.
"It's a special feature," I quipped as I opened the door.
Behind the door was a hollow space with shelves. On the deep shelves were thick, ancient tomes and jars of murky liquid. I picked up a jar and held it up. The light from the fire glistened off the small frog that floated in the liquid.
"What is this?" Vincent whispered.
I shook my head. "If I didn't know any better I'd say we stumbled on a witch's secret stash."
"You're joking," he commented.
I held the jar out to me. "You wanna tell me this is something other than a newt?"
"But a real witch?" he argued.
I rolled my eyes and put the glass back. "This coming from a werewolf, but I'm not saying she's a real witch. She's probably just some herbalist who's been trying to poison us. We need to get out of-"
A howl broke the silence of the forest. The noise was followed by the high-pitched scream of a woman.
"Glenna!" Vincent cried out.
"Come on!"
I slammed shut the hidden herb area and together we rushed out the front door. We skidded to a stop in the yard and swept our eyes over the area. There came another scream.
Vincent pointed at the rightward path. "Over there!"
We rushed down the path and reached the meadow a few moments later. Glenna sat near a stump on the other side of the field. She crawled backwards on her hands and looked up at her attacker.
A second figure hovered over her. From our position I could see it wore a tight pair of torn jeans. Its hunched back was covered in a thick layer of brown fur. The arms were thick with muscles and the ends of its hands were long, sharp claws.
"Glenna!" Vincent yelled.
The creature turned around. Its face was distorted by a long, grayed snout and it glared at us with yellow-white eyes. The creature curled its lips back in a snarl that revealed its hideously long teeth.
Vincent's eyes widened. "That's-"
"A werewolf," I finished for him.
"But its daylight!" he pointed out.
"Try telling it that and see how far you get," I quipped.
"Help!" Glenna screamed.
The werewolf returned its attention to the helpless old woman. It crawled on all fours towards her. Glenna scrambled backwards. Her eyes were wide as she shook her head.
"No! Stay away!"
I pulled out my gun and pointed the barrel at the werewolf.
"Will bullets hurt it?" Vincent asked me.
I put the werewolf in my sights. "These aren't normal bullets."
The bullets were untested, but now was the perfect opportunity. I fired off a shot. The bullet hit its mark and the werewolf reared back its head. Its pained-filled howl echoed across the field as it clutched its arm. Smoke rose from the wound and I smelled the scent of burned flesh.
The werewolf spun around and growled at us me It loped towards us. I aimed my gun. The werewolf picked up speed and cut the distance between us in half in a split second. I couldn't track its movements enough to get a clear shot. The thing barreled down on me.
Vincent stepped in front of me and spread his arms out. The werewolf swung its massive arm and hit Vincent in the side. He flew to the side like a rag doll and landed in a mess of brambles that surrounded the field.
I stumbled back and fell on my rear. The werewolf stalked towards me and curled his lips in a long snarl. I pointed my gun, but the thing backhanded the weapon from my grip. The gun sailed into the brush to my right.
I scrambled back. He leapt forward and landed atop me. His hands dug into the earth on either side of my head. Drool dripped from his lips and dropped onto my cheek. I cringed and turned my face away as the werewolf stuck its face into mine. Its hot, horrible breath wafted over me. The werewolf opened its mouth and—
A shadow sprang from the brambles and crashed into the werewolf. The pair rolled away from me. I sat up and looked to them. My eyes widened. The red-coated werewolf of past experiences stood between the brown werewolf and me. Its back was to me, but my ears caught the sound of a deep, trembling growl.
The brown wolf snarled back and lunged. The coated werewolf grabbed its outstretched arms and flung it away to my left and into the brambles. My werewolf followed it into the woods and both disappeared into the trees. I climbed to my feet and rushed to the brush on my right. It took me a few moments to retrieve the weapon from the bushes. I turned to the brambles. Nothing stirred and I heard nothing.
A noise came to my ears.
"Could. . .could I get some help here?" Vincent's whimpering voice called.
I raised my gun and cautiously strode over to the brambles. The bushes shook. I stopped at the edge and leaned over the brambles with my gun at the ready. My face fell.
Vincent lay in the middle of a mess of brambles. His coat and pants were caught in a thousand places, and his arms and face were scratched. Small beads of blood pooled in the wounds. He shifted and winced.
"Ouch. . ." he whimpered.
I lowered my gun and frowned. The doubt in my mind that this incompetent man was the werewolf grew with each feeble struggle of his arms and legs.
"A little help here," he pleaded.
I rolled my eyes and holstered my gun. "You're impossible."
Chapter 8
I grabbed his hand and pulled him from the mess. A dozen bramble branches followed, and I pulled them off him one at a time.
"Did you see where the werewolves went?" I asked him.
He shook his head. "I didn't see anything but a bunch of brambles."
I sighed. "Typical."
I was almost finished with the rescue of Vincent when I heard a noise behind us. I swung around and drew my gun from its holster. When I stopped the barrel was aimed at Glenna's head. She stood five feet from us with a smile on her lips. Her empty hands were clasped together behind her.
"I don't know how to thank you enough," she told us.
I narrowed my eyes. My finger edged closer to the trigger. "You can thank us by telling us the truth," I demanded.
She held up her hands and gave me a toothy grin. "There's no need for that. The truth is I came here to pick some roots for dinner when-"
"Enough with your lies," I snapped. I jerked my head towards the meadow. "Even if we hadn't found your stash of fake witch books, where's your basket? And why did I see you go the other way before you came this direction?"
Her smile faltered. The soft look in her eyes was swept aside in favor of the cold, hard look I'd seen in them last night. "You little idiot. Do you know nothing of the world in which you stumbled except how to reveal your ignorance of that very world?"
"Then enlighten me," I retorted.
A grin slipped onto her dry, cracked lips. She raised her hand. My eyes widened as I felt myself lifted off the ground by invisible hands. I floated three feet off the ground before I stopped. Old woman splayed her fingers. My arms and legs spread out in different directions. I strained against the invisible bonds, but nothing freed me.
The old woman shuffled closer. "Now would you call this fake, my stupid little girl? Hmm?" She cupped her free hand to her ear. "What's that? Nothing more to say?"
"Go to hell," I growled.
She threw back her head and cackled. "Yes, I'm sure there's a spot picked out for me, but I don't plan to fill it for quite some time."
Vincent tore himself fr
om the last of the brambles and hurried to my side. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled. I remained in the air. He turned his attention to the witch.
"What are you doing? Let her go!" Vincent demanded.
She frowned at him. "Only if you agree to be my protector."
"Protector? What are you talking about?" he questioned her.
The witch curled her lips back in a snarl. "You really have forgotten what you are. That makes you useless to me, and if I can't hypnotize you with the eyes of my trophies nor enlighten you with the aid of the Proxy Plant then you are nothing but a threat to me."
Glenna raised her other hand. Vincent yelped as he, too, was swept off his feet. He joined me in the air and his limbs were spread apart like mine. The old woman shuffled up to us. Her eyes flickered from one of us to the other.
"What a worthless pair you make. One doesn't know who he is, and the other doesn't know what she does," she commented.
I narrowed my eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"Shut up. I don't care to educate a couple of children on the finer points of the paranormal world," she snapped.
She put her fingers to her lips and blew. A shrill whistle echoed around the field. My eyes widened. It was the same sound I'd heard yesterday after I was attacked by the other werewolf.
"You're the one who's controlling the werewolf!" I accused her.
Glenna grinned and bowed. "Guilty as charged. I'd hoped to lure you into a clean trap and have this messy business done with, but now you must know your fate." She frowned and glanced over the field. Glenna blew again, and again nothing happened. Her eyes narrowed. "Where is that stupid werewolf?"
"You don't seem to have a good servant," I quipped.
She snarled at me and snapped her fingers. I cried out as my arms and legs were stretched further apart than they were meant to.
"Stop it!" Vincent growled.
Glenna set her narrowed eyes on him. I felt the pressure ease. "I'm not so foolish as to hurt your proxy too much, werewolf. It was only a lesson." She turned her attention to the meadow once more. "Where is he?"
Glenna strode towards the path. I gasped as we swung around and floated behind her. Vincent was close behind me, and I floated three feet from Glenna.
"Are you all right?" Vincent whispered to me.
I strained against my invisible bonds. Nothing changed. A growl escaped my lips. "I'd be better if I could get out of here. . ." I mumbled.