The legacy of the dark blood

Chapter 30

In search of the crown

The information about the blood consumption and transfer was still swirling around in Liz's head, not letting her clarify the situation in a way that she could benefit from. If on the one hand his testimony gave her a new perspective and approach to the mission, on the other hand, the revelation that her mark was the result of a blood transfer brought about a level of anguish in her that she could hardly conceal. She remembered that except for Steffi, no one had any knowledge of her diabolical mark, much less what it meant. She knew she could trust Bernard and even Chris, and her fearful uncertain future thereafter was something she felt in need of sharing with someone. Florian's reaction to learning of her defilement would perhaps not be beneficial to her mission, so she decided not to comment on it until he was no longer present.

The villager, clean in presence and thought, had proposed to steal the hunters' horses and use them as a means of transportation. It did not take him long to seize the power of one of the equines, prancing on its back, although the agents were not entirely happy, considering the monstrous owners of such extravagant animals.

-You can relax, the horses are clean, they're not going to attack you". Liz was not entirely happy with the idea of taking the horses, although she knew they would have no choice but to escape from the forest. Without the van it would take hours before they could reach a moderately safe place before the night darkness would once again cover the entire area thus revealing all the abhorrent secrets that were yet to be discovered.

Florian looked determined to ride to the set location, where Queen Holzmann's crown would supposedly be found; the relic with which the statue had been found by the Warrens. Liz approached the dark brown horse fearful of the animal's reaction, although it didn't take her long to realize that it was indeed an ordinary horse, it had no traces of rot nor did she observe any abnormal behavior. Finally, and without scruples, she mounted the stirrup and gained possession of the animal, which she managed to tame with ease to the surprise of her companions.

"I didn't know you knew how to ride," Bernard flattered her, fearful at the thought of having to ride a horse, which revealed that it was his first time.

"I know a thing or two," Liz said with a faint smile. Despite the terrible events of Reich der Finsternis, that moment brought back a lasting joy, as she remembered the times when she rode as a child with her grandfather, years after leaving England, where she practiced horseback riding, to settle in the United States. She also felt sadness at the thought that she might not make it out alive to visit England and learn a little more about her relatives.

"Would you mind if I sat next to you?" Bernard asked, looking for a pretext not to ride alone, although Liz agreed without hesitation and nodded, also considering that there were only three horses, of which the last one was being mastered with difficulty by Chris.

"Climb on with confidence." His companion encouraged him as she saw the man's difficulties in getting on. "You pushed a killer hunter into the river, don't tell me that you're scared of riding a horse, are you?" she asked jokingly, although Bernard always took things in a friendly way.

Chris didn't say anything on the matter, thus also showing his approval for the idea of using the horses. There was no further conversation about it, until the agents set off towards the cave where the crown was supposed to be found.

The minutes passed while the agents rode into the bowels of the woods of doom, anxiously moving without taking their eyes off their surroundings in the hope that some bloodthirsty beast might sneak up on them.

"Can't you slow down a little?" Bernard asked behind his companion, who was holding the horse's reins.

"We won't get out of here alive if we go slowly," Florian replied, "Do you want to go to Queen Holzmann's cave, you'd better get your courage up now, you don't know what lies ahead of us".