Two years later
1791
.....
It was half past ten and Emma still didn't come down.
I knew she had a long night hunting with Richter since dusk. She returned home at two in the morning and walked right upstairs, rolling on her nightshift and crashing right into bed, murmuring at me not to wake her up. Vance strode in like a prince of darkness."A successful hunt, those ravenous occultists won't trouble travelers anymore."
"Ravenous occultists?" I crossed my arms intrigued. "Now that's something I haven't heard of in centuries."
"Nor will you hear of it again." Vance puffed a hiss. " A trio of loonies snatching humans from their beds and sacrificing them under the full moon. Slashing their throats and letting the bleed out under the moonlight to appease some lunatic god of theirs. Waste of blood if you ask me."
"Is this something I should be concerned about?" I curled my fists around my staff.
"Nope. Emma and Richter smoked them out. That boy is getting to be quite the natural."
" Good to hear." I quickly regretted it. "Sorry! No offense."
"None taken, angel." Vance remarked. "Everyone's safe and sound except the cultist vampires. I'm telling you this revolution is bringing out the crazies." He bid me goodnight and retreated into the cellar.
The sun rose to another day. Emma slept through the morning. I managed my appointments without trouble, keeping the shop well. I heard no rumors of vampire occultists. Just the same old talk in the same old town. I should consider myself lucky.
The doorbell rang and Maria walked in. "Good morning Amalie. Is Emma here?"
"Good morning Maria. Yes she is, but she's asleep upstairs."
"Her too!?" Maria exclaimed. "Richter's still sleeping. I wanted to wake him up, but my mother told me not to bother him. His lazy ass will be in bed the whole day. I thought maybe Emma might be awake."
"Nope, she's out cold too. After the busy night they had, who could blame them for sleeping in?" I mused, welcoming her in and closing the door.
"Why does she have to go with him?" Maria sat down on the couch. "He's a full fledged hunter now, she doesn't need to babysit him anymore."
"She's his protector." I explained. "Emma promised his mother before she died that she would watch over him. That doesn't end when he becomes an adult, and if he gets in a fix she'll bring him out of it."
"Well.....she shouldn't have to protect him all the time." Maria huffed, thrumming her fingers on her arm like Emma did when she was impatient. Crazy how quirks get passed down generations.
"Maria, what's wrong? What's ruffling your feathers?"
"Nothing!" Maria snapped sharply before apologizing. "Sorry..." She spoke in a lighter voice. "I hoped Emma was up so I could talk to her."
"About what, if you don't mind me asking?"
Maria answered. " I wanted to see if she can speak at the meeting tomorrow night."
My smile faded. "Not gonna happen, I'll tell you that now before you even ask. . "
"I don't understand." Maria shook her head. "She fought with the French in America's revolution, Why won't she take a stand with us now, on our own soil?"
"She doesn't want to. One revolution was enough for her, and she has no desire to contribute to another."
"Why not?" Maria asked, genuinely confused. "Why is she so ashamed? She fought and steered the way for the independence of a new country. She fought for liberty and won. That's something to be proud of!"
"She's not ashamed." I defended my daughter without hostility. "She's scared. Revolutions are a bloody affair, and she was in the thick of it. She fought for liberty and won, but it came at a cost."
Maria sighed. "I just think of what she could do here. Emma doesn't have to fight, the things she could tell us, the stories she has of a successful revolution....... We could learn so much from her and she could be a huge inspiration to us all."
"Maybe." I smiled weakly. "But she's not ready to retread her past. News of this revolution is scaring her enough. I already had to tell the Abbot to stop the knight's regiments in the woods because their gunshots sent her into a panic attack."
Maria bristled at the mention of the knights, and was about to say something offensive about the Abbot's attack dogs when the doorbell rang. "Odd, the door's unlocked." I went to the door and opened it. "Good morning, there's no need to ring I'm open for business." My mouth went agape. "Boss above."
"Amalie, who is this?" Maria stared at the man in a weathered traveler's cloak and sandals, leaning against his walking stick.