The sound of footsteps up ahead caught her attention. “Gabriel—”
“I heard. He’s not going to get away this time,” Gabriel said, rushing after the sound.
She raced down the stairs, keeping her eyes on the beam of light illuminating the path. Suddenly, far up ahead, she caught sight of a black coat as the figure turned a corner.
Jane didn’t need to point that out. Gabriel was already several feet ahead of her, running after the figure so fast she knew she was going to lose him soon.
Her side was aching and she struggled to breathe. With a final burst of speed she increased her pace, catching up to Gabriel as he rushed out of an open side entrance that led outside.
He glanced around. “There’s nobody here. But he came through this entrance. I know he did.”
Following him out onto the snow, she paused to take a deep breath. He was right. There was nobody out here. Only an expanse of pure white snow. And a pair of blankets on the ground. Her stomach lurched at the sight of the blankets. The two bodies they had decided to place in the snow for safekeeping were still outside. All alone.
“What has happened?” the manservant asked as he joined them out on the snow. “Where has he gone?”
“He just disappeared,” Gabriel replied, his jaw clenching. “Damn it. How the hell did he just vanish like that?”
“There are probably more secret entrances and tunnels than we realize,” Jane gasped out as she clutched her side. “We should go back inside before we freeze.”
The sound of a cell phone ringing made her pause. She grabbed her phone from her pocket and shook her head. “That isn’t my phone.”
“Not mine, either,” Gabriel said.
“I do not have my phone with me,” the manservant said, looking bewildered.
“Then it has to be…” Jane glanced down at the wrapped bodies and shuddered. Not from the cold, but from a sinking dread. “One of the bodies still has their phone on them.”
“Probably Heidi’s” Gabriel said.
“We’ll have to get it. Could be her family.” She was reluctant to go anywhere near the bodies, but she gathered her courage with a deep breath. Then she leaned down to start to pulling the blanket away from poor Heidi’s body.
The ringing continued and Jane saw the glow of a cell phone in one of Heidi’s pockets. With shaking hands, she retrieved the phone. As she tried to answer Jane felt a cold hand grab her ankle, and with a scream she dropped the cell phone.
“Jane, I’m getting you out of here.” Gabriel reached out and grabbed her hand tightly. He pulled her, but the hand refused to let her go.
Shrieking, Jane kicked out at the hand until it released her. Jumping backward to get away, she saw Heidi sit up slowly, as if she was a corpse come back to life.
The manservant’s mouth fell open. “What in the name of—”
“Idiots!” Heidi shouted. “All of you be silent!”
Jane thought she was going to faint. “How are you alive? How? What is happening?”
“Did you answer the phone?” Heidi demanded as she looked up at them.
“No. I dropped it before I could,” Jane said, going numb with cold and disbelief. “You’re supposed to be dead.”
“Night’s Bane,” Heidi said flatly. “Heard of it?”
Jane’s legs began to shake. “No.”
“It’s a plant found in the nearby woods. Ingest enough and it will make you look dead when you are not. Ingest too much and you really will be dead.” Heidi laughed, her cheeks turning rosy.
Gabriel pointed his gun at Heidi. “I don’t hurt women, but you’re going to need to start talking or the bullets are going to fly.”
Heidi looked at the gun, her lip curling in distaste. “You Americans and your guns. Very well. I will talk. But first…” She reached over to pull the blanket from Otto’s body and wrenched the dagger from his chest, making the most hideous squelching sound as she yanked it free.
Before anyone could move to stop her Heidi was on her feet, sidestepping the gun to grab Jane by the hair.
Jane struggled to get free in spite of the pain. “Get away from me!”
“Let her go,” Gabriel ordered, taking a step towards them.
Heidi seized Jane’s hair firmly, pressing the already bloody knife against her neck.
Gabriel didn’t lower the gun. “You’re not going to hurt her.”
“I’m going to take her inside,” Heidi said, her voice syrupy sweet. “I will give you and Emmerich a head start so that you may run away.”
“You’re letting me and Emmerich go?” Gabriel’s green eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“Because I am kind and generous,” Heidi replied in a childlike voice. “We can all play a little game together. Hide and seek. If you hide well enough, Gabriel, maybe I won’t find you. That way you’ll have a chance to live.”
“I’m not leaving,” Gabriel said.
“I’m very kindly giving you a head start and you’re not taking it? Your allegiance to Jane is most nauseating,” Heidi said. “Run along now and you might live, gentlemen.”
“Do as she says, Gabriel!” Jane cried out. “Run. You and Mr. Ernst can still get away from here.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Gabriel said through gritted teeth.
“Enough of this,” Heidi said as she dragged Jane back through the entrance.
Desperate to think up some kind of escape plan, Jane wracked her brain for the answer. For the way out of this nightmare.
Heidi held the blade against her throat, shoving her towards one of the side doors Jane had spotted earlier. Quickly Heidi opened one of the doors, revealing the back of a tapestry. She shifted the fabric, dragging Jane out into the great hall.
“That door was there the whole time,” Jane said in shock, staring at the tapestry as Gabriel appeared.
“Let her go,” Gabriel said.
