The Stone of Blood (50 page)

My mama’s heart must have melted then as she came out and gave Cricket a big warm hug.

“You come back and see us again anytime!” My mama told her. “I mean that young lady.”

And then Mama waved to us as she went on inside.

Colby had slipped upstairs while nobody was lookin’ and had gotten my flashlights so that we could see where we were goin’ since it got darker out. He also got his machete, just in case. We used those flashlights as we made our way back down the driveway, and onto the road back to the barn.

It was pitch black as we entered it. And it held an eerie feelin’ to it now.

We removed the bales of hay from where they laid across the hole and I jumped back down inside upon the lid. And I felt again for the latch that would unseal the coffin; the final restin’ place of the man whom, I did not yet know.

The lid opened partially, caught on its sides by the dirt. I jerked at it until I broke open its hold. And then I pulled its door open wide! It was then …by the light of Cricket’s and Colby’s flashlights shinin’ down into the coffin that I looked upon the face of the dead man; the one who’d been buried in this unmarked grave.

“Who was he?” Colby whispered as if we were at a funeral. “What was his name?”

“His uniform is
Union
.” I said as I looked upon him. “I believe his name was Nathanael!” I answered. “And this…” I said as I reached down and took up the box of shiny gold lined with silver and pearl inlay that was held tightly within his boney grasp. “…this is the golden box of the
‘Sang
Pierre
’
!”

“What?” Colby turned his head to the side and asked.

“It’s the Blood Stone, Colby!” Cricket told him. “
‘Sang
Pierre
’
means
Blood Stone
in French.
It’s what we’ve been looking for!”

And as I stood there within the hole I opened the box to see the stone. And the light from the flashlights reflected upon the image of the stone like that of a crystal; a beautiful deep blood red crystalline jewel that glistened in the light like sparklin’ diamonds, reflectin’ its colorful glow throughout the barn!

“Don’t touch it, Toby!” Cricket shouted as she held out her hand for me to stop! “Remember the curse!” she said as I recalled my hand, pulling it back before I had touched it.

It was at that moment that the light from the full moon shown high in that October sky! And we turned then, the three of us, and looked out into the heavens through the open window of the barn loft. The Blood Moon had risen! And there came a great howlin’ of the wolf!

Twenty Nine

Blood Moon

I handed the golden box of the
‘Sang Pierre’
to Cricket as Colby ran to the edge of the barn and then climbed up into its rafters to get a better look at the moon. And I looked back down upon the skeleton of Nathanael once again, and I felt pity for him where he lay.

It was then that I saw the sword!

Images from my dream returned to me as I reached down and took up that sword …
images
of the
ghosts as they danced merrily through my visions. I saw their faces again as they watched me and I saw this great silver sword, shinin’ in the glimmerin’ of the twilight…

‘
Werewolves
’ howled as the moon shown of blood, and as the Blood Moon illuminated the night!

“Toby!” Colby shouted from the rafters. “They’re thousands of em’ Toby! They’re everywhere! They’re comin’! They’re coming from everywhere!”

And it was as though Mr. Roberts’s red barn was the center of the universe! The ‘
werewolves
’ were drawn to it …they encircled it …they filled it!

I climbed out of Nathanael’s grave and I stood at Cricket’s side and I raised that silver sword in my hand as the barn was filled by the growlin’ and snarlin’ of savage beasts!

And from out of the ‘
werewolf
’ horde …Lucian walked. And he stopped and he stood before me!

“You and I made an agreement, boy!” Lucian said as he stood in his human form. “I have come here now …for what is mine!”

“Don’t give it to him Toby!” Cricket shouted to me and as she then turned and spoke louder so that Lucian might hear. “It was kept from
his kind
for a reason!”

It was Cricket’s words that echoed through my mind then. ‘
It had been kept from h
is kind; …their kind …our kind …mankind?
’

Lucian reached out for the golden box of the
‘Sang
Pierre
’
just as Cricket withdrew it and hid with it in the shadows behind me! And I stood face to face once again before the man with the cold blue eyes …as he changed …back into
his darker state …
into
his truer form
!

And the air was filled with the roar of a thousand ‘
werewolves’
!

The ‘
werewolf
’ who was Lucian snarled and growled with great fury as he circled us deviously! And his eyes showed of much anger! He lunged at us as I stepped quickly to the side, while Cricket dropped swiftly to the ground! And he howled menacingly into the night!

He jumped over us and circled once again as he snarled and gnashed his canine teeth! And then he lunged at us a second time, while I barely missed him with the cold steel of my blade! It was then that the horde of ‘
werewolve
s’ charged at us!

With great fury they swarmed as I wielded that sword; striking them hard upon its sharpened edge! And I felt the cut of my blade slice deep as their blood splattered upon my silvery steel! I watched as they fell in anguish to the ground to the left of me …while many more fell in misery to my right!

I felt their pain as they fell before me! Though I could no longer feel my own!

The ‘
werewolf
’ who was Lucian seized up Cricket within his grasp! And the golden box of the
‘Sang
Pierre
’
fell from her hands
upon the ground
and opened at my feet
! And the
Stone of Blood
within’ its hold rolled out upon the earth! And I heard the sounds of Cricket’s screams!

All eyes turned and gazed upon the stone, as it shown brilliantly by the light of the Blood Moon!

And as the fighting resumed …I looked and I saw a ghostly white apparition standing beside me! An apparition fighting by my side! A phantom spirit who had taken up his ghostly sword and had joined us there upon that field of battle! While their fury could not harm him, his blade still met their flesh without remorse!

Colby had jumped down from the rafters, and he fought them with great passion! He fought them with wood and he fought them with fire!

We engaged them in battle with all of our strength …with all of our sweat …and with all of our might …as on and through the waning of the light, ‘
werewolves
’ also fought against other ‘
werewolves
’!

It was then and in that moment, when it seemed the light was about to go out upon the whole world, that I looked and saw a great black ‘
werewolf
’ rise up and leap through the air! It lunged towards the alpha male …attacking Lucian from behind and forcing him to the ground!

I heard the sound of Cricket’s screams again as she fell upon the earth! And I saw Lucian’s hold come undone as she broke free!

The great black ‘
werewolf
’ threw off Lucian’s gun as it pinned him to the ground! And I looked into the eyes of that rueful beast, and I saw …
eyes that I remembered
!

I stood over Lucian then holdin’ that great silver
sword above him; that silver sword that shined in the glimmerin’ of the twilight! And the ‘
werewolf
’s stopped their fighting! And
h
er words
came back to me.
“
You have been given many blessings from God my dear boy.
” The voice I remembered said to me. “
Just as all of God’s children have been given many blessings
.
What we need you to do is what you were put here upon this earth to do!
” Her voice returned to me and said. “
What we need is a happily ever after. And let His will be done!
”