The Vampire's Harvest

186

Thinking it better to let Ailisa go, you offer her a smile. "Well, I'm sure he'll be here soon. He probably just wanted it to be more romantic by giving you the mask in private."

"I'm so excited," she says with a giddy grin and a clap of her hands. She sets her sights on the lounge door, but your trembling words manage to stop her before she skips away.

"Do you mind if I go with you real quick? It won't be for more than a moment. I just want to see if there's anything in there that could maybe spruce me up a bit until Gianette arrives with my outfit."

"Well, I suppose so," she replies with a slight frown. "But be quick. I love you and everything, but I will not have anyone getting in the way of getting myself a mask."

She then turns and glides over to the door as you swallow down your guilt. You wonder just how dedicated she is to that statement, but you don't have time to think on it for long. She turns the knob, pulling the door open and even before her foot steps through the threshold, you see the look of surprise stretching her face. You lunge forward, wrapping your arms around her and slapping your hand across her mouth. You fumble her inside and shut the door behind you.

"What now?" asks Ferris with a pained sigh.

"Ailisa was coming back here because a vamp—the duke no less—is coming here to meet with her." You feel Ailisa's lips twist into a proud smile, but you ignore her one-track mind and continue with your warning. "You must hurry, Ferris. There probably isn't much time left."

The coven stirs at this news and Ferris looks between you and Ailisa. His nostrils flare and he shakes his head towards the ground, his fists digging into his hips as he works his way through the obstacles before him.

"Ailisa, do you promise not to scream if Micah releases you?" He watches the squirming young woman from the tops of his eyes. His slight frown pessimistic.

She responds with a dramatic nod and Ferris gives you the go ahead to release her. Once free she takes a small step forward and, with hands wringing, she asks Ferris a question.

"Are you looking to kill the vampires? All of them?"

"Yes," he answers with stern severity.

"Just great," says Ailisa with a whimper in her voice. She walks over to the nearby sofa and slumps down with a sigh. "I'll never get out of this town."

Sensing that Ailisa poses no threat, Ferris snaps into action. He grabs a jack-o- lantern from one of his mages and hands it over to you.

"Micah, I need you to cast a ward over the door. Make sure no one gets in just long enough for us to pull off the ritual. Do you think you can do that?"

"Of course," you say with a nod of your head. Wards were the first spells Ferris taught you and though you lack his magical finesse, even you have to admit that you are fairly decent at protective spells.

After delegating this responsibility, Ferris returns to the coven and they launch back into their ritual. As for you, you turn to the door and begin to utter your spell, channeling it through the hollowed gourd and calling out its power.

Then the door opens.

In steps the duke. He's a tall, muscular man with a trimmed black beard and a lengthy mane of hair tied back with a vermillion silk ribbon that matches the posh suit jacket that was tailored to fit his boxy frame. You hear a disappointed swoon behind you as some of the coven stirs. Ferris, however, doesn't flinch and his voice only becomes louder and stronger in order to reel his witches back into the plan.

You wonder what went wrong and you tense as the duke dawns upon your purpose there, but as he starts to charge, he meets an invisible wall, his face smashing against your ward.

Wards are spherical by nature and it appears the duke was just within the radius of your spell when you cast it. You didn't manage to keep him out, but you do manage to keep him trapped where he is. At least he's trapped until your ward fails, which will be pretty soon considering how hard he's beating against the edge.

You see the air ripple around him and as the coven reaches a fevered pitch, the ward falls. You need to stop him before he can disrupt the circle and ruin the ritual, but you don't have any time to call up another enchantment. You'll just have to find a weapon amongst the things you've gathered throughout the night: the silver pin you bought with Ailisa, the water skin from home, or the ice pick from the cellar. Hopefully one of them can stop a charging vampire.

- Silver Pin: ch 193

- Water Skin: ch 194

- Ice Pick: ch 195