Wulf's Redemption (Borne Vampires Book 3) (9 page)

Seeing his brother would not be swayed, he left
off trying to dissuade him. “Will you shift?”

“Aye, I will into a white owl, to blend in with the
storm.”

“Watch your back, Aldric. Ulrich isn’t stupid and
if pushed beyond his patience, he will unleash his fury on you.”

Uncertainty made Aldric hesitate. Love made him
defiant. “If he tries to stop me, I’ll….”

“No, brother, you won’t need to raise arms against
our kin. If you are found out, stay here at Wulf Manor. I will be back, I swear
it.” He pulled his brother to him and held him tight, feeling Aldric’s arms
clasp around him.

Releasing him, Alex left the study and went to his
bedchamber.
Dressing in
the heavy leather breeches and wool shirt he had acquired for patrols, Alex
donned thick socks and his Hessian boots. Shrugging on his heavy coat and donned
a dark woolen cap top his head, he cinched his sword at his side and slipped a
dagger in his right boot. He took his pistol and loaded it with the silver
bullets Aldric had given him. Putting the rest in his breast pocket, he holstered
his gun at his right hip. Cautious, he opened the balcony doors and peered out.

Below
was clear of soldiers. He leapt over the balustrade and landed on the ground. Bonfires
encircling the manor’s grounds made it easy to hide in the shadows of the
house. Snow began to fall.
Reaching
the corner of the house, he leaned into the wall as a pair of soldiers walked past
him. They brandished blazing torches and carried Jägerbusche rifles. After they
passed by, he pushed away and ran, speeding faster than the eye could follow to
the barn. Inside, he skidded to halt stopped, surprised to find Herrick leading
Saber, already saddled, out of his stall.

“Herrick—”
The Gypsy held his hand out to silence him.

“Master,”
he whispered, “let’s leave here before you question me.”

He
whispered back, “You ride with me?”

“Aye,
Master.” Herrick handed him Saber’s reins and went to another stall and led out
Aldric’s grey gelding. “We need to hurry.” They swung up on their horses and
rode out the back doors. The heavy snow fall muffled their mounts’ footsteps.
An explosion spooked the horses.

“What
was that?” Alex asked the grinning Gypsy.

“Stich
planted several barrels of gunpowder a few feet from the main gate and several
more close to the wall. Von Patterson shall be preoccupied for some time.”
Another explosion shook the ground. “Come, my lord, we take the deer path to
the west side of the manor, where we may pass the broken wall and circle around
to the main road. My cousin will keep the guards busy while we slip away.”

“How
did you know I planned to avoid my father’s hired soldiers?”

“When
Aldric asked me how to hunt the Damned, I knew you would not submit to your
father’s will and seek to kill the beast yourself.” He drew his pistol. “My
lord, the old ones say another child will be taken before the night is over.
They told me to tell you to use your wit against a beast who
thinks
like a man, except is no longer one.”

“Let us make haste then.” Urging his horse into a
canter, he drew his pistol, alert for man and vampyre.

Fair distance the manor, he asked, “Herrick, do
you know about my father’s plans for me?”

“Your father interrogated me while I was
incarcerated on whether you attempted to turn a mortal into a vampyre.”

“What? Why would he think I’d attempt such an evil
deed to a mortal?”

“I have never broken our laws, especially the
First!”

“Not even for love?” Herrick gave him a sidelong
look.

“No human has survived the Change intact. They
lose their souls instantly and become Damned. I would never endanger the one I
loved and currently, I do not love a human!”

Satisfied, he said, “I knew you’d not be foolish.
However, it does not matter that you are innocent. Ulrich is convinced
otherwise and plans to have you judged, if you survive the night.”

What had he done for his father to think he’d
broken the Borne Laws? The worst of his sins was sleeping with a married woman,
and he’d broken it off with Lisle weeks ago. Like an anvil between his eyes, he
remembered the cause of Herrick’s arrest.

“Herrick, has Lisle Breber visited by my father?”

“My wife told me that Mrs. Breber visited your
father while you and Aldric were in town last night. She listened in. Mrs.
Breber told Ulrich that you planned to turn her, to keep her with you forever.
She said she feared for her life and her soul. The old bastard promised her
she’d have nothing to worry about, that he would personally take care of you.”

A bitter laugh escaped him. “My own father prepares
to denounce me as a vampyre before the townspeople, right?”

“If
the killer is not found and brought to justice
, you
are set to face the charges
of taking the children and slaughtered them in your hunger for innocent blood.
You will be branded the Wolf of Magdeburg.”

“Once
we kill it, Aldric and I are leaving Wulf Manor. We’ll not stay under the rule
of that self-righteous prick who sired us any further.”

“I
agree, Master. You need to part ways with General Wulf. He’s not been right in
the head lately.”

“Right
in the head? The man’s never been sane.” Alex glanced upward as a snowy white owl
flew past them. The beautiful bird dipped its right wing, signaling it was Aldric.

Brave
Aldric. He’d honestly not thought his brother would actually defy their father’s
command. Aldric had, and he was relieved his brother had come to join them. They
traveled another mile and encountered a large group of riders.

“What
goes here, Herrick?” he asked, wary of a trap.

Grinning
from ear to ear, Herrick explained, “We broke our vow to serve your father, not
you and Aldric. My family is determined to honor our word to the Wulf family
and we will hunt the beast alongside you.”

The
gypsies met him and Herrick. He said to them, “Gentlemen, you are the only
family left to us. Nevertheless, I must ask you to reconsider riding with me. In
my defiance, I have made a terrible enemy of the Iron Wolf, and those who
assist me will be considered his enemy as well.”

One
of the older men replied, “We know you are innocent, Master. The creature
hunting the children is beyond evil. You, my lord, are the best of mortal and
immortal alike. We will aid you in ridding the monster and free Magdeburg from its
bloodied clutches. This, we swear.” The others nodded their agreement.

“Your
faith in me takes the sting from my father’s betrayal.” Scanning the dark sky,
wet flakes coated his upturned face. “What we hunt is one of the Damned. Are
you prepared to face evil?”

“We are,” they said together.

“Let us send him to a well-earned death!” They
followed him and Herrick as they urged their horses into a canter. Proud of
them and their determination to aid the people of Magdeburg, despite having
been earlier accused of the foul deed, gave proof they were good people.

The snow fell faster, covering their tracks. Cold
and wet by the time they reached the outskirts of the city, he refused to be
let the weather deter his determination to find the Wolf of Magdeburg! The
belfry clock tower, in town square, struck eleven times, the metallic echoes
shattering the eerie quiet. Closer they rode to town, the oily smoke issued the
tar burning in the fire pits caused his eyes to burn and water.

A familiar foreboding swept over Alex as they
neared the long, stone bridge. Easing their horses down to a walk, he stroked
Saber’s neck as the stallion snorted nervously. Constructed to allow only two
wagons to pass with barely room to spare, they rode in pairs. Dark shadows
chased the icy edges of the river and forest. The crunch of crystalized snow
underneath their horses’ hooves echoed across the frozen expanse. Arriving at
the other end of the bridge, two men with torches stepped forward as three
others aimed their rifles at them, looking frightened.

“Halt! Who goes there?” the one with the stovetop
hat demanded, his voice quaking.

“I am Alexander Wulf. I and my men desire to give
what aid we can.”

Relief swept over the tense men. The apparent
leader inquired with a quizzical expression, “My lord, forgive me for
presenting such a pointed question when we need all the arms we can muster, but
I must know the reason. Why would the gypsies assist us? We doubted their innocence
in the kidnapping of our children.”

Alex looked to Herrick, who answered, “We
understand the grief of losing a child. You and the parents of the stolen
children were only acting upon any means to stop others from suffering the same
fate. We do not hold it against you and offer our will and rifles, to find the
beast and slay it before another child is taken.”

Overcome with emotion, the man took out a
handkerchief and wiped his eyes before he extended his hand out to Herrick.
“Sir, we are grateful to have additional men to patrol and protect the children.
We sorely need it.”

Worried, Alex asked, “Has something else happened
tonight?”

“No, we are simply pushed beyond our limit and
suffer exhaustion. Some envision strange apparitions in the snow falling;
others are convinced spirits stalk the night. We are slowly losing our sanity
to the terror mocking our efforts to protect our families.”

Alex signaled to four of his men. “Stay here with these
good men and protect the bridge.” To the man, he said, “I seek out Breber and I
shall convey your worries and obtain, if we can, you relief.”

“Much appreciated, my lord.” He and his men stepped
aside. Alex tapped his heels to Saber’s sides and rode past them.

To bar the wolves from entering the town by way
the Elba, a barrier fence, six feet in height, had been erected. Pyres burned,
sending flames high into the sky, holding back the night. The streets were
empty of traffic, the town folk ordered to stay within the safe confine of
their homes. Two blocks and they met another armed group, led by Breber’s
second in command, a man by the name of Lothe.

Lothe hailed him with a relieved grin. “My lord,
we are exceedingly glad you and your men….” he stopped, realizing those
accompanying him were not the hired mercenaries Ulrich Wulf promised to send.

“Sir, my men are loyal, more so for they are not
bought and paid for like my father’s are. We are here to help you. Do you
reject our offer?” Alex arched an eyebrow expectedly at
Lothe
,
who looked to his men as they nervously gazed upon the gypsies.

Squaring his broad shoulders, Lothe replied, “We
are grateful you harbor no ill will toward us and we welcome your arms to
protect our children.”

“If I may suggest, you should mix my men with
yours and set them to patrol together, thus avoiding misunderstandings when
other patrols happen upon them.”

“Sound plan, my lord. We shall implement your
suggestion immediately.” Lothe divided his men, pairing them with the gypsies,
who handled the situation quite well, showing sympathy to the weary men.

Herrick said to his family, “Lads, may God see to
your protection. I will ride with Master Alex.”

Lothe asked, clearly puzzled, “You are Alexander
Wulf?”

“Yes. Why?” he asked, frowning at the way Lothe’s men
nervously huddled closer together.

“We heard rumors your possible connection to the
wolf accused of taking the children.”

“Let me guess, Lisle Breber has been busy running
her mouth. Am I correct?”

Sheepish, the man replied, “Yes, my lord. The
magistrate’s wife possesses a waspish tongue, especially in her need to express
her displeasure.”

“I’ve met her on occasion and I heartily agree
with your description of her. Mrs. Breber holds a biased opinion of me since I
rejected her offer for … companionship. She has striven to cast me out to be
the villain and make me pay for rejecting her advances.”

“Ah, I understand, my lord. I, too, have had the
displeasure of being in position to rebuke her advances. We will keep our
conversation private for I respect John and would not wish to cause him additional
stress than he already endures.”

“Agreed. Speaking of stress, I must seek Breber to
converse with him about the men standing watch the bridge. They are in sore
need of rest. Where is the Magistrate patrolling?”

“You should find him at town square. He has given
to walking by himself these long nights.”

“It is dangerous to be out alone, why does he risk
his life?”

Lothe shrugged helplessly. “John is obsessed with
the notion these kidnappings are leveled at him on a personal level. His
inability to stop the rogue wolf has led him to swear he will drive his sword
in the beast’s accursed heart or die trying.”

Surprised by this, Alex asked, “He believes the
kidnappings are directed at him? Why does he think this? Is there evidence
leading to his assumption?”

“You will have to inquire when you meet with him.”

“I plan to.” Alex said to those around him, “Be
vigilant, friends. The beast knows its time on the earth is short. It will be
dangerous, if you should encounter it. God be with you.” Alex rode off, Herrick
following close behind him.

Pondering what Lothe said, he wondered if there
was a connection between the abducted children and why Breber thought the
kidnapping directed at him. As he and Herrick entered the section of town where
the richest resided, revelation struck as he viewed the mansions, built side by
side, down the lane.

“Herrick, were the children taken belong to
prominent families?”