He barked out orders. “Take a few of the caskets and put them in the pit. Then I will light the fire.” The smell of kerosene was thick in the air; this was going to be an enormous blaze.
Godfrey lit the fire before all of the girls got out of the pit. The last few were nearly burned. He laughed, “Let the festivities begin.”
Some of the girls had survived since last year’s bonfire and knew what to expect, but the sight horrified the new ones, including Trisha.
Godfrey, ignoring his new wife—who did not want to be close to him anyway—yelled, “Put the next five caskets on.” This was going much too fast. Trisha knew she would only have time to do one thing. Either she could save Godfrey’s wife or she could try to pin the brooch on him.
Godfrey was almost manic. “Throw five more caskets into the pit.”
When Trisha snuck up behind Godfrey’s wife, she was crying silently.
Trisha said, “Can you walk at all?”
The girl shook her head. “Godfrey broke my ankles.”
Trisha looked down at the girl’s legs. She had no time to spare. She told Advarika to go get some reeds at the swamp.
Godfrey yelled, “Throw in the last caskets!”
Trisha scooped up Godfrey’s wife and carried her to the wagon. She and several other girls gently put the bride in the back and covered her with the large tarp.
When all the caskets had burned down to a large pile of ashes, Godfrey said, “Ladies, the party is over. Get the wagon back. We need to start stacking it for next year. My current wife should be the next one. She may have already expired.” He looked toward his wife’s wheelchair. She was no longer there. “Fool! She must have crawled away. I’ll find her, and I’ll not allow her to ruin a perfectly wonderful evening.”
Trisha and the girls got the wagon back to the underground cave. They uncovered his bride and put her in one of the large jars. They carefully put the dirt around her, after making sure no worms or maggots lived in it. Advarika poked a half dozen of the reeds that he had gotten from the swamp into the dirt. The girl could breathe out of these until it was safe to come out.
Just as Godfrey started down the corridor, yelling, everyone noticed that the reeds stuck out of the dirt. Godfrey would surely see them. Advarika took his long nails and sliced through the reeds so they were no longer visible. He then put the stopper on top of the jar very loosely. The door opened, and Godfrey came in. He took several deep breaths, as if to calm himself. Then he began to search—everything. He looked behind things; he searched the wagon.
All the girls’ brooches started glowing…including his new wife’s. Godfrey went over to the jar. He thought he had seen something, a glow from inside the jar, but, no, no one could last very long in the jar without air.
Trisha had seen the glow as well. She walked over to Godfrey. “It’s just the reflection of my brooch. See?”
Godfrey had had a long night. He hoped his wife was already dead somewhere, and he was just too tired to look for her. He needed a new wife fast, so he decided to turn on his charm.
Godfrey said softly, “Trisha, my dear, I know how you love to dance. I’m having a ball tomorrow night, and I want you to attend.”
Trisha opened her mouth to refuse, then stopped herself. This could be her chance to put the brooch on Godfrey. She did not even know if it would really have the same power over him as it did on the girls. Would it change anything? Would they all be free of Godfrey if she could pin him? Trisha did not know the answer, but Mrs. Toddles had encouraged her to do it, and she had no other ideas.
Trisha said, “I would love to go to the ball with you and dance the night away.” The other girls glared at Trisha in disapproval, but they had no idea what Trisha’s plans were.
Godfrey said, “That is wonderful, my dear. I will have a bath waiting for you tomorrow, with an elegant gown and shoes to match.” Godfrey looked at the glass jar one more time and then turned and left the room.
Bailey said, “Trisha! What are you thinking? Godfrey is going to make you his next bride.”
The other girls busily dug out Godfrey’s present wife. She was dirty, but otherwise no worse for hiding. The girls tore stripes of canvas from the tarp and mixed them with crushed maggots. They wrapped the girl’s ankles.
Bailey said, “When this becomes hard in a few hours, it will be like a cast.”
Trisha explained her plan to Bailey, who sounded doubtful. “Doesn’t sound like much of a plan, Trisha. You’re going to go to Godfrey’s ball, and you think he will let you pin this brooch on him?”
Trisha said, “If I get caught, he will kill me, and if I marry him, he will kill me, and if I stay here, I’ll die of utter exhaustion. My fate comes out the same no matter what.”
Bailey wished she could be as brave as Trisha.
Trisha slept well that night. She knew she could pin the brooch on Godfrey. She would dance several dances with him, and then, later in the evening, when he was thinking about nothing but enjoying himself, she would pin it to his suit coat.
Trisha had no way of knowing that Godfrey did not want Trisha as his next bride. He wanted to get that second brooch from her. No one had ever thought of removing any of the dead girl’s brooches before, but he had a plan to separate Trisha from the one she had taken. He did not know what she intended to do with it, but it would not end up pinned to him. When he had created the spell years and years ago, he did not stipulate which sex it would affect; it worked the same on men and women. But he had created this method of staying young and alive by taking life from the girls, and he would not allow it be used against him.
As it grew later and later the next day, Trisha wondered if Godfrey had changed his mind. The girls heard someone coming down the corridor, but it did not sound like Godfrey. They quickly hid his wife, who still could not walk, but was getting a little color back in her skin. Their brooches started glowing, the door opened, and it was Godfrey.
Dressed for the ball, he breathed heavily and had to sit down. “My wife must not have expired. I don’t feel the energy that I’m accustomed to.”
He looked at Trisha. “Sorry, my dear, but it has taken me a long time to get ready today, so you will only have an hour to prepare. Follow me.” Advarika followed Trisha out the door. Still out of breath, Godfrey asked, “Where is that rodent going?”
Trisha thought fast. “Since I only have an hour, Advarika will help me dress. You don’t want me to be late, do you?”
Godfrey looked at Advarika. “He’s not permitted to go to the ball, and he must stay in your room. If I see him out of the room, I will throw him back in the cave with the girls…or make some delicious stew out of him.”
Trisha said, “He’ll do as I say. He’ll not leave my room.”
Godfrey glared at Advarika, who scurried to Trisha’s far side.
Godfrey walked in silence to a room and opened the door for Trisha. “I’ll be back in an hour for you. There is a hot bath drawn and a gown waiting. Just leave your dirty clothes out here, and they will be cleaned.”
When Godfrey closed the door, Trisha ran over and locked it. She gratefully removed her dirty clothes, but left her undergarments on. Trisha did not want the brooch to pin itself to her skin. The hot water felt wonderful against her skin. She made thorough use of a bar of sweet-smelling soap and clean towels.
Advarika sat on the edge of the tub, swirling the water around with one of his fingernails. He loved his baths that Mrs. Toddles gave him, swimming around in the tub that was just deep enough for him. He envied Trisha right now. After a while, he went to the dressing room and climbed up on the dresser. If he stood on the dresser, he could see his entire body in the enormous mirror.
In the bathroom, Trisha’s brooch glowed slightly; she figured Godfrey was standing in the hallway waiting for her.
On the dressing table, Advarika picked up a brush and brushed his fur out. He smelled all the powders and perfumes on the dresser, choosing one to try on. His eyes started wate
ring—that one was too strong. Just as he started enjoying this pampering thing, he heard a sound from the other room. Trisha could not be done with her bath yet. He peeked around the doorframe.
In the main bedroom, Godfrey took something out of the pocket of Trisha’s dirty clothes, which lay on the floor. Godfrey had the brooch in his hand and was crawling toward the open door. He looked like a snake slithering around on the floor. Advarika ran and jumped on him, pulled his hair, and beat him on the head.
Trisha heard the commotion, grabbed a towel, and came running.
Godfrey leaped to his feet and lunged for the hall, slamming the door behind him. Trisha glimpsed Godfrey as the door shut, and then she turned to see if Advarika was all right. As the raccoon picked up the brooch from the floor, Trisha noticed a cut on his arm. She took him into the bathroom to wash it off. Her bath was still very warm.
Advarika pointed to the water and asked, “Can I have a hot bath?”
It had not occurred to Trisha that Advarika liked baths. She picked him up and helped him into the water. He let out a sigh and swam around the tub. He could not do laps, but Advarika obviously enjoyed himself.
Trisha began dressing, wondering if she should continue with this charade. Godfrey knew she had the second brooch. What could she do now?
Advarika dried himself off while Trisha got dressed. She had to admit it was a beautiful gown—all white except for small blue bows along the hemline and a light blue sash. Very fine lace made up the almost nonexistent sleeves. The bodice, much too low for Trisha, showed off her perfect figure. She found several lace handkerchiefs on the bedside table and placed two along her neckline, across her bodice. The lace matched the lace of the dress, so the handkerchiefs looked like they belonged there. As she finished pinning them in place, someone knocked on the sitting room door. She knew it could not be Godfrey; he would not knock.
Advarika said, “I’ll get it.” He opened the door to a heavyset woman with two trays of food. She brought them in and set them on a table. She left without saying a word. Advarika, entranced by the grand aroma, fingered some of the meats and muffins.
Trisha called, “Advarika, who was at the door?” After repeating this a few times with no answer, she grew concerned. She stepped into the sitting room and found Advarika stuffing his face with all kinds of food. “Where did this food come from?”
Advarika, mouth too full to speak, just shrugged his shoulders.
The food smelled wonderful, but it could be a trick. “You know, Advarika, the food could have been poisoned. Maybe that would be Godfrey’s way of getting rid of me.” Trisha picked up a half-eaten chicken leg and grimaced.
Advarika had just swallowed a mouthful and was licking his fingers. “That is why I tasted everything on both trays. I don’t want you to die. All of it seems good, Trisha. Help yourself.”
Trisha found a muffin that only had a small bite taken out of it. She barely had time to eat the muffin before there was a knock at the door.
The same heavyset lady waited there. “Godfrey would like you to come and join the ball.”
The brooch had already found its place on her new gown, looking very expensive. Outside the ballroom, Trisha checked in the mirror to her right to make sure she did not have crumbs all down the front of her dress. Horrified, she stared at her reflection. She looked old and wrinkled, with white hair, sitting in a wheelchair. It looked like the same wheelchair that Godfrey’s last wife used on the day of the bonfire.
Someone touched her shoulder and whispered, “Everything will turn out all right, Trisha.”
When Trisha turned, she saw a vanishing mist that resembled Mrs. Toddles. Trisha looked in the mirror again, and she looked like she had upstairs. She had not noticed, but, if not for the blue bows and sash, the dress would look like a wedding dress. Trisha wondered if she was making a big mistake, but then Godfrey left the girl he had been dancing with and came toward her.
“My dear Trisha, you look beautiful.”
After dancing with Godfrey, Trisha felt in her waistband for the other brooch, but it was not there. Trisha started to panic until Advarika peeked into the ballroom. Trisha excused herself and headed for the hallway. Advarika held out the brooch with the clasp open to make it easier for Trisha to pin it on Godfrey. She reached down for it and stuck herself, hard. Blood dripped from her hand. A girl screamed, and Advarika bolted, running down the hallway and up the stairs, still carrying the brooch.
Godfrey headed toward Trisha. How could she explain the blood? She snatched a discarded wineglass from the table under the mirror and, hiding her actions behind her skirt, slammed the glass on the edge of the table. Bits of glass went everywhere. One of the small shards cut the palm of her hand.
Just before Godfrey reached her, Trisha hissed at the girl, who had just screamed, to leave. “There is danger for you if you stay in this house any longer.” The girl began backing away from Trisha just as Godfrey got to her.
Godfrey grabbed Trisha’s elbow roughly. “What are you trying to do—kill yourself before I have the chance? Get back to the cavern.” He instructed the heavyset woman to take Trisha and her little rodent back to the underground cave.
When Godfrey turned his attention back to his quests, he could no longer see his next target, the girl Trisha had warned. She had left the party.
Meanwhile, Godfrey’s henchwoman grabbed Trisha’s arm roughly and yanked her up to the bedroom, where Advarika was curled on the bed, hugging a pillow. The woman reached the bed in just a few steps and grabbed Advarika by the back of the neck. He let out a small cry, and Trisha tried to comfort him, but the woman acted crazed. She had the strength of several men and carried Trisha and Advarika down the stairs without their feet touching a single step.
When she had deposited Advarika and Trisha in the tomb, the woman left. Advarika gave Trisha a weak raccoon smile. “Trisha, all is not lost.” He opened the pillowcase that he still clutched. It was full of food. Advarika rubbed the scruff of his neck where the woman had dug in her fingernails. “She had quite a grip.”
The girls all crowded around and started devouring the food.
“I think you saved that girl’s life.”
Trisha nodded in agreement with her raccoon friend. “But there will be others.”
CHAPTER 32
Brittany and Chad were now on their way to see Jon. She hoped she could help her older brother, but she really did not see how.
Jon was still very weak from Professor Mend extracting the Black Death from his body, but he wanted to go to the unloading dock with Chris to pick up Brittany.
Brittany thought the Bundlebobs were traveling in the old dogsled a little too fast for her comfort, but Chad was laughing and having a good time. So, she hung on tight and prayed the old contraption would hold up. As the Bundlebobs pulled to a stop, Brittany didn’t know if she was more grateful to be in one piece or that her brothers were standing in front of her.
Chad jumped out. “Brittany, that was fun.”
Brittany got out slowly, as if she was coming off a roller coaster. She said with a shaky voice, “Yeah, that was fun.”
Chris ran to his sister and hugged her. He could not remember the last time he had done that. Jon was trying to get there as quickly as he could, but his weak body had overcome. Brittany came running. She hugged her older brother, while Chris picked up Chad.
She pulled away to look at his arms and put her hand on his forehead. “Where are your black spots? You don’t feel like you have a fever, but you don’t look normal either. You are moving slow and seem very weak.”
Jon said, “I’ll be fine, Brittany. I just need to rest a bit.”
Brittany looked around at the place where her brothers had been. While she was enclosed in a hospital, a filthy one at that, this was open land. A lot of it was covered with snow, and it was very cold. There were a few fruit trees, but most of the woody plants held small, dark globes. They did not look like something she could eat. The unloading dock
was primitive, almost childlike. It did not look stable enough to hold anything substantial. There were Bundlebobs of all sizes milling around the loading dock, ready to be transported to another destination.
Chris went to get the wheelchair. As Jon eased himself into it, he said, “Brittany, you like science. I have got to show you something.”
“What is it? Don’t you think you should concentrate on getting your strength back?”
“Yes, but this machine will revolutionize the medical world.”
Brittany said, “I hardly think they have any type of invention here that will revolutionize the world, Jon. Have you looked around? Besides opening up a ski resort, I don’t see any potential here at making a living.”
Chris said, “Brittany, the Bundlebobs don’t sleep, and they feed off of themselves. What do they really need?”
Chris put Chad on Jon’s lap and pushed him to Professor Mend’s lab. The three of them talked all the way back.
They found Professor Mend deep in thought. He had taken the Sporbit motor apart.
Jon said, “Professor Mend, I would like to introduce my sister Brittany.”
Professor Mend stopped working and shook Brittany’s hand. He said, “You have recently cut your hand.” He peered intently at her hand, now completely healed.
Brittany rubbed her hand where she had two large cuts earlier and said, “I have discovered something quite interesting.”
Jon interrupted her, as he always did when he thought what he had to say was more important than his siblings. Jon wanted to show Brittany how the Sporbit worked, but the professor had quite a mess on his hands with the wires all pulled out. “How long will it be, Professor, before you can use the Sporbit again?”
“At least a few days, maybe even a week to get it working right. I think there is a glitch in the motor; it should have run more smoothly when you were in it.”
Jon asked, “Do you have a separate set of plans that I may have? This looks like it could help a lot of people where I come from.”
Professor Mend scratched his head. “Yes, I do, somewhere in this lab. I just have to think about it a bit. Feel free to help yourself to anything you see in the lab.” He checked several places before he found an extra set behind the counter. “I wedged these plans in there to fix the counter. It was uneven.”