AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No young men here today.”
On the wall behind her, a sketch of a young woman caught my attention. There was a series of notes around the image, written in Romanian. Chills lingered on my skin. The woman’s blond hair reminded me of Anastasia in a way. “What does that say?”
The shop owner brushed away strips of fabric and motioned at the calendar on her table, pointing her scissors to Vineri. Friday. “Missing since three nights ago. She was seen walking near woods. Then nimic. Nothing. Pricolici.”
“That’s awful.” My breathing stilled for a moment. This woman truly believed an undead werewolf prowled the area, hunting for victims. However, it was the thought of being lost in those dreadful woods that made my limbs go weak. I hoped for the girl’s sake she’
d made it somewhere safe. If snow and ice fell all that night, it would have made survival impossible.
I picked out new stockings and, after paying the shop owner, replaced my sodden ones with them. They were thick and warm and made my feet feel as if they were enveloped in soft clouds.
“Thank you… multumesc. I hope the girl is discovered soon.”
A commotion outside drew my attention. I watched men and women run down the cobblestone street, their eyes wide and unblinking. The mild-looking shop owner drew an iron pipe from behind the counter, her mouth set in a sharp line.
“Get back, girl. This is no good. Foarte rau.”
Fear stitched itself into my veins, but I snipped it away. I would not succumb to such emotions here. I was in a new location and wouldn’t fall into old habits. No matter if something was thought to be very bad. There was nothing to be afraid of other than our own worries. I was quite convinced no one was hunting people along these streets, especially during daylight hours.
“I’ll be all right.”
Without hesitation, I pushed the door open, gathered my skirts, and ran toward the small crowd that had sprung up near an alley at the end of the shopping district.
Chills invaded the cracks of my emotional armor, sliding their icy fingers along my skin. I gave in to their prodding and shivered in the waning morning light.
Another storm was approaching. Bits of ice and snow stumbled along in front of an angry gray cloud, a warning of worse things to follow. Much worse things.
VILLAGE STREETS
STRAZILE DIN SAT
BRASOV
2 DECEMBER 1888
I dipped down, low enough to peer between people as they shifted around the scene. My first glimpse at what had caught their attention was of a foot that belonged to someone lying on the snow-covered ground.
Judging from the loafer, whoever the villagers were staring at was male. Panic seeped back in when I scanned the crowd.
I was searching for a distinctly tall young man. One with straight brows and a crooked tilt to his mouth. Thomas was nowhere to be found. He was always where trouble lurked. Something cold and heavy pooled in my core.
“No.”
I lunged forward as if I were nothing more than a marionette on a string. If anything happened to Thomas… I couldn’t finish the thought. Fear thrummed in my cells.
Using my smaller stature, I shoved my way through the young men, terror allotting me strength and a steely reserve as I wove my way through their limbs. I pushed one of them when he didn’t move, and he stumbled into someone else. They began yelling in Romanian, and from what I interpreted, they weren’t exchanging pleasantries. I knew I was being unforgivably rude, but if Thomas had been hurt, I would have plowed through the entire country if I had to, leaving bones and ash in my wake.
When the body finally came into view, I clamped my teeth together, biting down on shock. Lying in a motionless sprawl was Wilhelm. I closed my eyes, relieved it wasn’t Thomas, and felt horrid for it. I was despicable, and it wasn’t even the first time I’d experienced relief at someone else’s expense.
Once that monstrous feeling passed, I turned my full attention to the boy. There was no discernible injury that I could see from where I stood. Judging from the absolute stillness, I knew Wilhelm was not breathing; no clouds of breath puffed into the frigid air. There did appear to be some slight discoloration and foaming around his mouth, though.
Aside from him lying in a heap, there was no disturbance in the snow around him. No one had attempted to revive or even touch him. Not that I imagined they would. Unless there was a physician close by, no one would be trained. If anything, the villagers might be too afraid to get close. Muscles in my abdomen twisted. He was so young. I should have trusted my instincts earlier when he was so clearly in distress.
I shifted closer, noticing a set of footprints a few feet away leading down the alley. I narrowed my eyes, wondering if it was the path a murderer had taken. Perhaps Wilhelm had died of natural causes, though young men didn’t usually keel over while walking through villages. Sure, his skin had had a reddish tinge, but I did not think he’d been sickly enough for sudden death.
I flipped through pages of medical theories and prognoses in my mind. An aneurysm wasn’t entirely out of the question, I supposed; that might explain the lack of outward injury and slight foam at the mouth. But it did not answer the mystery of his discoloration.
Someone would need to send for the headmaster. One of his students was dead. And there was no better place for forensic examination than our nearby academy. At least that was a positive glimmer amidst this horror.
