I look at Cole who, looks interested too.
“Fine. Abridged version though as this tunnel isn’t that long.”
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-FIVE
Hohenschwangau, Bavaria, 1942 – Katherine
“C ome on, Devon, we don’t have much time,” I hissed at him.
“I’m coming,” he snapped back. “I don’t know why you have such a death wish. This tunnel could be filled with all sorts of booby traps.”
“I’m just trying to be quick and short of flames or an axe to the neck we will be fine,” I ducked quickly as I heard the whoosh coming at me and thanked the lord for Vampire reflexes.
“You were saying?” Devon said from behind me, where the booby-trapped axe had nearly taken my head off.
I cleared my throat. “Yes, well. Lucky for me, I am a Vampire and not a slow human,” I said somewhat abashed at having been nearly caught out. “Stop distracting me.” I blamed Devon and he chuckled at me.
He flashed the fiery torch in front of us and we proceeded with markedly more caution than before.
“Oh, wonderful,” he said as we came to a big hole in the ground. “How are we supposed to get over that? Jump?”
“There will be a way. Just look,” I ordered him. “Esther said we could use this tunnel to get from the village into the castle.”
“Are you sure you trust her?”
“Of course. She wouldn’t lead us astray. She wants out of this place and we are her ticket.”
“Here,” I said a few moments later after examining the walls and finding three small levers in place.
“What order?” Devon asked.
I shrugged. “Who knows? Does it make a difference?” I asked and just randomly pulled the three levers back.
Apparently due to the lack of anything happening, it made a difference. I sighed and tried again. The third try had a bridge appear from both sides, joining in the middle.
“I don’t trust it,” he said.
“Just run.” I grabbed his hand and in a flash of Vampire speed we were across the bridge that collapsed again as soon as we were over. “Christ. It’s like it was made for Vampires,” I said, a bit breathless from the adrenaline. “No wonder they hired us to get this damned egg back.”
“I thought it was yours, anyway?”
“It was. A while ago. Constantine gave it to me after we left Russia. It got stolen in France and now the Nazis have it.”
“Poetic really then, when you think about it.”
I grinned at him. “Sure is.”
We made it without incident to the end of the tunnel and waited. A few moments later, the trap door opened, and Esther popped her head in and said, “Quickly. You have to make it to the Study Room and back out in five minutes, that’s when the guard comes back around.”
I nodded briskly and Devon and I went in the direction of the Study Room, careful to keep to the shadows. A quick search of the room found us the egg and, checking the secret code was still hidden carefully inside, I wrapped it up gently and placed it in my satchel.
“Hide,” Devon whispered to me as we heard the guard come back. We each ducked behind the curtains pulled back and held in our breath. The guard came in and inspected the room. Oh, please don’t let him see anything is out of place, I thought. I was not in the mood for taking down a bunch of Nazi guards. He left and we peeked out from behind the curtains.
I motioned with my head that we should get out of there and, silently, we also left and made our way back to the kitchens, where Esther was waiting for us.
“Come now,” I told her. “We got it, but we have to leave now.” There was a commotion coming our way, the guard must have gone back suspicious and saw that the egg missing.
“Now!” Devon hissed at her as she hesitated. “Katherine, just grab her.” I pulled on her hand and she got into motion. We dropped down the hole and she pulled the trap door closed behind us. “Go,” I said, and we ran, triggering a few traps on the way, but we made it back to the bridge with our heads and other body parts intact. “When the bridge goes up, take hands and run,” I said, pushing the levers into place as we heard the guards closing in on us. Esther grabbed Devon’s hand and he grabbed mine and we ran. The bridge disappeared under my feet before I made it and felt myself falling but Devon was there to save me, as always. He gripped my hand tighter and pulled me up out of the hole with a quick chuckle. “What would you do without me?”