Castlevania Nocturne: A Sneak Peak

Sneak Peek: Along the River

Meanwhile, Richter and Annette foraged in the woods.

"Caught any rabbits yet?" asked Annette, holding a full bowl of mushrooms.

"You had the easy job." Richter chuckled softly. "Mushrooms can't run away."

"They can poison you if you choose the wrong ones." Annette snickered. Her giddiness faded to dread at the sight of glowing specters. They were not murdered peasants like Emma saw, rather Annette's own ancestral spirits, looming ever closer to her.

"What is it? Annette." Richter noticed Annette staring off.

"Nothing." Annette murmured half aware of him.

"Are you thinking about Edouard? We underestimated them. Of course we didn't know about the eclipse. And I've got the measure of them now. Next time, we won't run." "Richter chuckled dryly. "Fighting evil. It was never going to be sunshine and flowers."

Annette wasn't paying attention. The spectral figures drew closer to her, with one ancestral spirit shambling closer to her like a zombie, mouth gaping with an eye dangling from his socket. Annette gasped and instinctively grabbed Richter's hand. The spirit vanished along with the others, and Annette found herself grasping hands with Richter, who held on just as tight. Both stared off into the distance completely abashed.

"Though, I suppose it is quite pretty here." Richter blushed. Annette quickly let go and stepped away. "I'll go get those rabbits then, shall I?"

"Okay." Annette murmured. Both avoided each other, embarrassed by the blush on their faces and the flush in their bellies. They continued foraging, not talking to each other fearful of saying something stupid. It was Richter who broke the ice. "I'm worried too." He huffed, keeping his eyes peeled for rabbits.

"We all are." Annette responded understandingly."There's a lot to be worried about."

"Yeah. A lot." Richter gulped, hoping this would help Annette open up to him about her own concerns. "Right now I'm mostly worried about Emma. She's not at her full strength. I'm not sure it's right having Em come with us to Paris while she's still recovering from such a bad injury. She might not act like it but she's still vulnerable."

"She is safer with us than back home in Erzsebet's reach." Annette reassured him. "And we will protect her, us and Alucard together. We will not let any harm come to her."

"I'll cut down any damn vampire that dares to touch her." Richter gripped the hilt of one of his knives. He shivered with tears remembering Emma's maimed, bloodsoaked body laying under the Abbey's dungeons. Her staring blankly at him the way his own mother's lifeless eyes did. "She nearly died, and you saved her. I can't thank you enough for that Annette. She's like a mother to me ." He told her heartfelt.

The blush crept back on Annette's face. "You're welcome."she said modestly. "I merely worked with my ancestors and divine magic to mend her wounds. Though truth be told....." she paused.

"What?"

"Nothing." Annette didn't want to worry Richter any further.

"Annette. What is it?"Richter urged.

Annette sighed "Truth be told it may not have been only my magic alone. I sensed something in Emma's blood when I worked with it. Something divine. I cannot exactly describe it, but the closest I can get is when I awakened the powers of Ogun within me."

"Emma is half angel." Richter presumed. "She has divine blood."

"Perhaps. It's strange. Whatever it was worked with me when I treated Emma. Regardless, I'll keep an eye on her through her recovery."

"That makes two of us." Richter remarked lighthearted.

"Three. Her father."

"Right. Alucard, the son of Dracula." Richter scratched his head. All this time he thought Emma was joking about her heritage!

Richter and Annette resumed their foraging, unaware they were being watched.