Chapter 27A Dark Corridor

We stood there, in front of the grave of Valerie's parents. Even the sounds of cars were far away. Nothing but a light rustle of leaves and the light of the moon.

Valerie sighed deeply and looked at me. "Thank you."

I simply smiled and squeezed her hand. I still felt the lingering taste of her tears on my lips and I wondered if she cried any on my shoulder.

I looked, but it was clean. I guess she had been careful and I wondered if this was the first time she cried. Now I knew that my tears were no longer clear but mixed with blood. Perhaps, over time, even blood alone. It was a strange thought that tried to make sense of it all. In a way it felt like an old thought that echoed in my mind.

'Over time we will change, stronger and less human. No tears, sweat or saliva. Just blood.'

I giggled as I remembered. "You kissed me." I said softly.

Valerie blushed, a strange but lovely color on her face. "I-it just felt so natural."

I squeezed her hand again. "It's alright. Come we'll walk back."

Valerie nodded and smiled. We turned around and started walking back to the Church, enjoying the soft summer breeze. Then we saw something.

Inside of the Church there was a light, flickering softly like a candle, that disappeared as soon as we saw it. I looked to Valerie, who nodded and pointed up. I looked and saw a round window open up higher on the wall. It would be no problem getting in there. She gave me a leg up and grabbed my hand as soon as I was in the window.

We made no noise as we entered and looked around. No one here. The basic benches all neatly lined up, clean and empty. There was a soft glow at a door on the other side, below the organ. It seemed to head downwards. The only downside was that if we went in we'd have nowhere to flee to. I looked at Valerie imploringly.

She nodded. We went in.

The stone spiral staircase was unlit but solid. I momentarily wondered if the Silver Abbey has a basement like this. With scrolls and scribes, whispers in the corridors, candles on each table that lit ancient texts. I got a grip on myself. This was not the time to dream.

As soon as we headed down we came into a long corridor, again no lights anywhere though we saw some alcoves fit for candles. There were some doors on the sides, but all they led to were tiny closed off rooms with nothing more than some straw in a corner. I wondered if they were still used.

I felt vulnerable here, we couldn't go anywhere without people seeing us and all the implications that would bring. But we continued regardless. There was a hall, possibly filled at one time with lecterns and scribing desks. Now there were people, all dressed in brown robes. We moved to the left, hiding in the shadow-rich alcoves where no one would move near. There was nothing there to be seen and I noticed only one in five or such had a candle with them.

The hall was a lot higher than I would have expected and only a glance upward from Valerie was enough to see her idea. There were beams enough to sit on and with a wall as rough as this one, climbing was no problem at all. Without making a noise, at least no more than the general mumbling of the people, we climbed up. We sat there in the rafters, hidden by the natural shadow and could see that there was a little altar in front.

The mumbling silenced, a procession coming from the corridor split up the crowd and allowed four people to walk to the front. The leading one held a golden chalice in his hands. The silence was almost like a velvet blanket over the room. No one even seemed to breathe, the clothes hardly making a sound.

People blew out their candles if they were in the crowd, making the two candlesticks at the altar the only light. The chalice was placed on the altar and the leading man held out his wrist and cut it, letting some blood flow into it though it was not much.

I saw Valerie cringe next to me. Had she fed?

The man spoke. "And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth."

"Amen" The voices of the people filling the room.

"Brothers, something terrible has happened. The book of Nosferatu was taken from us. Its hiding place had kept it safe for many years yet always available. But now it has been taken."

My gasp fortunately unheard by the whispers among the crowd.

"Silence. There have been... unusual circumstances though. No traces of burglary or such and because of its... location and the situation at the time it is not even certain if it was taken by day or night."

More whispers that covered my sigh of relief. It was very soft, but I saw Valerie look at me with almost a smirk.

The brother shushed them to silence. "There is however more important news. After many years we have finally had news from one of our oldest contacts of the Silver Abbey." He paused for effect. "We received a letter from an unknown party. But he signed the letter, Afentis."

"Afentis" I whispered. Why did that name haunt my mind?