That’s it. Just a little farther.
When the dog was almost to the door, Moncore jumped back. The dog leapt out the door, lunging for Moncore’s throat. Moncore sidestepped the animal then jumped inside, closing the door in the dog’s snarling face. He bolted it from the inside, the ferocious barking muffled on the other side.
Moncore was in. The dog was out. But the voices intensified. He breathed hard, a gasp of laughter escaping his throat.
He whirled around and saw Rose, standing across the room, her mouth open. He leapt toward her. She turned to flee but he caught her by her long hair and yanked her head back.
She screamed.
He jerked her against his chest and clamped his hand over her mouth while he fished out a vial of poison. He spoke the ancient incantation, then jerked the cork out with his teeth. Hooking his arm around her shoulder, he pinched her nose with one hand and poked the vial into her mouth with the other. He poured its contents down her throat.
She gagged, choked, and clawed at his hand. But he held her fast against him, covering her nose with one hand and pinning her arms with the other.
The voices in his head screamed with laughter.
Her thrashing and twisting grew weaker until she collapsed into a faint. When he let go, her body slumped to the floor.
Geruscha came hurrying down the steps and burst into the room. When she saw Moncore she shrieked and came running at him, her fists up. He had to laugh at the picture she made, a small woman, barely as high as his chest, her wimple bobbing up and down, her fists flailing. As if she could stop him. He caught her hands and pushed, sending her sprawling to the floor with an Oof.
“What did you do to her?” she said hoarsely, staring at the girl.
At that moment a loud pounding came from behind him, someone beating at the door, shouting and demanding entrance.
Curse that dog. His barks had brought the ever watchful Duke Wilhelm, no doubt.
Trapped, trapped, trapped. The voices taunted him. Don’t let them take you alive. Fight and live, or fight and die!
The pounding on the door was so mighty, it shook the whole tower. Only a battering ram could do such violence. They would soon break the crossbar.
He turned and seized Geruscha by the neck and under her arm, hauling her to her feet. He pulled his dagger from its sheath and held it to the woman’s throat, dragging her to the door, yanking her when her feet slipped. He flipped up the crossbar and stepped aside. Duke Wilhelm and two of his men crashed through.
He held Frau Geruscha in front of him like a shield, pressing the blade of his dagger against her throat. Exultation rose up inside him. He smiled.
Wilhelm drew his sword the minute the door flew open.
Moncore stood with a knife to Frau Geruscha’s throat. But where was Rose?
“Welcome, Duke Wilhelm. As you can see, you’re too late. I’ve just made sure that your precious maiden will have demons to keep her company for the rest of her life. She’ll never be any use to anyone—unless you want a mad woman for a wife.” He laughed as if crazed.
Wilhelm stepped farther into the room and saw Rose crumpled on the floor behind Moncore. His blood ran cold as a calm presence of mind overtook him. “What did you do to her?”
“I demonized her, precisely as I promised I would.” He leered with an evil grin. “You see, I have powerful friends in the spirit world, dark forces much more powerful than you, and certainly more powerful than the impotent Duke of Marienberg. I swore I would avenge myself on him, and I have succeeded. And now I curse you, Wilhelm Gerstenberg, I curse you! May your house be left to you desolate!”
It took all Wilhelm’s willpower not to lunge forward and slice into him. But he couldn’t risk Geruscha’s life. His mind raced through all the possibilities while he held his sword poised and ready.
“I will be leaving you now to tend your pathetic future wife.” Moncore jerked Frau Geruscha forward as he started toward the door. “Stand aside and order your men to do so as well.”
The evil man’s voice shook, and so did the hand in which he held the dagger. Wilhelm nodded to his men and they moved aside, their faces twisted in ruthless glares.
Moncore slowly dragged Frau Geruscha out the door. Frau Geruscha’s expression was defiant.
Wilhelm wouldn’t let him hurt her, and he wouldn’t let him get away, either. He would kill him for what he had done to Rose, whatever he had done.
Surely God would heal her. But he couldn’t think about that now.
As Moncore slowly backed through the courtyard with Frau Geruscha, Wilhelm came after him, matching him step for step, Georg at his left, Christoff at his right.
“Get back, I say!” The fiend pressed the knife against Frau Geruscha’s throat, forcing her head back. “Let me leave the city now or I’ll kill her.”
Wilhelm kept moving forward.