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As I drew near him, I saw that my father’s shoulders were rounded in a heavy droop His hand was slowly rubbing the top of his head as he stared doard

Then I sahat had hireat chase now cut through the mountain pass and there was simply no way around it I could not believe my eyes We had just traveled this road two days before and for this to happen was inconceivable

"Ho?" My father’s voice a mere whisper A terrified whisper

"We were at the castle of a wicked reat powers! He prouests, but now that we have left him, he will not spare us!"

"What nonsense! Ovidiu, there has to be a way off this dao back and find it"

Ovidiu turned and spoke swiftly to the driver in their native tongue The dark, haggard driver kept shaking his head, clasping his hand over his crucifix

"We think that we should perhaps try to go on foot or on the horses and leave the carriage," Ovidiu said, his voice shaking

"Nonsense! We have the woo back and this time keep track of the roads There is a way off this damned mountain and ill find it Come, Glynis!"

I rushed after my very upset Father and stue, he lifted , Edric?" My htened as she tried to soothesister

"The way down has been cut off A landslide perhaps We have to try and find another way down" Though his face was quite stern and his eyes anxious, he forced a sently on the forehead "It is nonsense to think this is soazed at my father sadly I kneas a s supernatural He attended all sorts of lectures about enlightenment and the rational mind I had not seen him enter a church since ere small children, and I had the impression he endured Mother’s fervent Catholicism He was, by nature, a skeptical e Despite his words, I knew, in thatinto the chasm, he had believed that somehow the Prince had reached out with his power and destroyed our way to the village

May burst into tears and buried her face in Mother’s shoulder Mytoward me I reached out to her and we clasped hands for a tender s All will be well There, there," Father said soothingly He had quite recovered himself at this point and looked his nored me close

The storm bellowed overhead and erupted with such fury the entire carriage began to shudder The horses whinnied with terror as the carriage lurched into an to beat down on us with such savagery the driver was forced to seek shelter in a thicket of trees The hiding place only spared us a little fro flashed brilliantly all around us

For several hours, we huddled inside the carriage, cold and wet, fearing the ferocity of the stor to seek both warmth and assurance Deep withinto be free of this place Oh, hoished I had behaved myself when my family had been in Italy and France Perhaps if I had been reeable ould not be in such a horrible predicaed within me as fiercely as the storhtly while her fingers slid over the beads of her rosary as she prayed Ever faithful May sat beside her, following her in her prayers They did not deserve this Perhaps I did, but they certainly did not

Whihtly, I pressed myself entle hand patting htmare of Prince Vlad and those horrible women with the sharp teeth What if had not been a dream? What if all of this was a manifestation of his evil? Of his power? Then, surely, ould never escape

I felt warm tears fall down my cheeks and covered ry and ate a bit of the food the gypsy woiven us I still remembered their dark eyes as they had handed us the basket I suspected it was pity I had seen dwelling in their gaze I ate slowly, feeling a tight pinch in my throat and a nervous flutter in my stomach May was too upset to eat, but I ate the piece of chicken and the fruit Mother gave , I was fa and the burning emptiness inside of me did not lessen with the food Yet, the food tasted divine As I chewed on the succulent flesh of a ripe apple, it never occurred tomy last meal

The day slipped by quickly for it was e finally rolled past the castle We said not a word as atched it slip past theMay whimpered a bit so I reached out and took her hand to cale kept turning down narrow roads as the driver tried to find his way down into the valley below But every road that initially turned doould soon lead right back up the e turned, we could not escape the presence of Prince Vlad’s castle loo over us

The storm clouds disappeared into the horizon and the sun appeared hovering low over the valley The evening was approaching

"Father, the sun is beginning to set," I whispered

"I know, dear, but ill not turn back We can travel at night if we need to"

"I cannot believe the day has already passed us by," Mother said "I just cannot believe how horrible all of this has been"

"There, there, Antoinetta We must not worry the children"

"Too late, Father I ahtened," I said

"As ahtly "Oh, I just ere far away from this horrible place"

"Ovidiu will find a way down and soon we shall be in a cozy inn," Father said firmly

"Oh, God, Edric, let it be true"

I watched as the bright orange sun descended to its resting place beyond the , black shadows filled the lush valley below and to hts in the distance

"Father, the village!"

"Thank God! It is there, Edric!"