AN IMPORTANT CLUE

If the friends had hoped for recognition for this important message, they were mistaken. They flew back to the mine as bats and transformed back in the shaft. Ivy didn't want to risk any of her friends having trouble during the transformation back. From the mine, they ran back to the castle. Of course, their absence had been noticed, and as soon as they came into view, the two Lycana, some of the heirs, and - far ahead of them all - Seymour ran towards them, someone must have freed him from his cell. Cameron and Mabbina accompanied the runaways in icy silence into the hall. Seymour walked demonstratively between them instead of going to Ivy's side as usual.

"I think he's really mad," Luciano said.

"Not just him!" Alisa added. "We'll soon find out if the Lycana are as resourceful in punishing as the Nosferas."

Luciano swallowed. "I don't think I want to know that."

"And I don't think they care!" Franz Leopold remarked.

"Let me talk to them," Ivy suggested. The friends had no objection. Ivy appeared superior and not the least bit remorseful as she approached the two Lycana.

"It wasn't my intention to worry you or cause you any inconvenience," she said.

"Oh really? Inconvenience?" Cameron growled. "We traced your tracks to the mine after Ireen discovered Seymour in the hidden chamber. At first, we thought it was a mistake, but that you deliberately lured him down there! I've never experienced anything like it."

"That makes two of us," Ivy admitted, "and it pains my soul that I had to do that, but Seymour wouldn't have been able to follow us so quickly, so he would have tried to stop us, and I couldn't allow that. I will seek reconciliation with him, and then we must learn to trust each other again."

"Well said! And then what? What was so important that you defied Donnchadh's instructions and put yourselves in danger? Have you forgotten that the war with the werewolves could flare up at any moment?"

"I am more than aware of that. Thank you for the reminder, but it's not necessary!" 

"Seymour sacrificed a lot for you," Cameron said quietly.

"It was his decision, which now provides the werewolves with an argument for their war!" Ivy replied even more quietly, so that Franz Leopold sensed the words more than heard them.

Cameron looked visibly uncomfortable. He took a step back and spoke louder: "And we have to fear that these vampires, who pursued you from Dunluce and are still lurking out there somewhere, are planning something that we won't like. Do you think Tara laid the magical barrier in vain? Do you think our clan leader's instructions don't apply to you because you're special? You of all people should know what a disaster it would be if something happened to you."

Now Mabbina intervened. "While searching for you, we discovered the traces of the foreign vampires. We weren't the only ones who followed you to the mine!"

Franz Leopold and Alisa looked at each other. "You didn't see them, did you?" she asked cautiously.

Mabbina shook her head. "No, they were cunning and got away. Just like you four, in a form that doesn't leave tracks on the ground."

"How many were there?" Franz Leopold wanted to know.

"We could sense two," said Mabbina. "But we suspect there are more. And even if not, it was reckless and dangerous to stray so far from Aughnanure. Especially from you, Ivy-Máire, I would have expected more caution!"

Ivy nodded. The other heirs of the clans were fully assembled in the hall, listening attentively to the confrontation. "I am aware of our obligation. Believe me, it is on my mind every moment, and I have no intention of forgetting it or shirking responsibility. That's precisely why I had to take this path tonight. Don't think this was just the youthful adventure of young vampires! My friends accompanied me to protect me in Seymour's place!"

Cameron snorted disbelievingly.

"We were in the cave that housed the stone, and we received important information from an old clan member who stayed behind. We can now be more helpful in the search for the cloch adhair than if we were to send hundreds more Lycana on this aimless search."

"And what does this help look like?" Mabbina wanted to know.

"I'll report that when our clan leader returns."

Mabbina and Cameron looked displeased at Ivy but didn't object.

"He's back, so speak!" Donnchadh's voice came from the door. Ivy waited until Tara had climbed the steps to the hall, then she told them what the old werewolf had said.

"You can only remove the stone with the greatest resistance from its origin, and the further you take it away, the faster it loses its power. Do you understand what that means? They can't want that. What would it be worth then?" Tara nodded. "I should have known. It's like with the bracelets. They also grow weaker every day the further we take them from their homeland."

"And yet you were able to take them - away from Ireland, all the way to Rome, and they still bind you to our land and keep harm away from you," Catriona interjected.

Ivy looked concerned now. "You mean they'll still try to take the stone away?"

"I can't say. Perhaps until a new order is established, with which they can be satisfied again," Catriona replied.

But Tara shook her head. "No, I believe we underestimate the resistance of the stone. They may try, but they will have to give in. How foolish of me not to have thought of it earlier." She looked at Ivy. "Although I cannot condone putting yourself in danger and treating Seymour - who made a great sacrifice - in this way, the information you bring is very valuable."

Franz Leopold saw how much effort it took Ivy to maintain her composure. Her jaw moved, the tense muscles were evident under her cheeks.

"Not only he has made sacrifices!" she gritted her teeth.

Tara looked distressed. "I know, Ivy, I know."

The rising sun ended the meeting and urged everyone to their coffins. Donnchadh said no more about the friends' unauthorized excursion, only exchanged a few words with Catriona and Tara before he too sought his coffin.

"I can hardly believe our luck," Luciano said, as he lay down in his box, whose strong smell of decay was almost gone. "They didn't punish us!"

"Maybe the hammer will fall tonight," Alisa speculated. "If they have the time for it. I wouldn't bet on us getting off that easily."

"But you can really spoil any hope," he complained and closed the lid.

Bram Stoker couldn't sleep. He lay stretched out on his back, hands folded, eyes closed. The girl with the silver hair haunted his thoughts and wouldn't let go. The fact that she had already seen him with Oscar, Florence, and Henry Irving in the cemetery of the foreigners in Rome and even remembered him fascinated and frightened him equally. Bram tried to think of something else. Of his friend who slept peacefully beyond the wall after a good fight with his mother in the evening. It wasn't easy to tell who had won. Oscar had outright forbidden Lady Wilde to go with the insurgents to the weapons depot, and she had retorted that he had no right to tell her what to do, since she was his mother, after all. Oscar had then launched into accusations culminating in diagnosing her with incipient senility. Bram couldn't shake the impression that Lady Wilde had never intended to accompany the men on the raid on a weapons depot and that only her son's unjustified interference had brought about this stubborn attitude. He pushed her into a conflict that should never have existed. How could she now stay behind without it looking like she was obeying him? Bram couldn't help but smile. From an outside perspective, it was just childish! But for the Lady, it seemed important to preserve her honor. So she resorted, as was customary for her gender, to a fit of migraine, for which her son was to blame and which made it impossible for her - as much as she regretted it - to endure a nightly ride!

While Bram was still thinking about the Wildes, he threw back the covers, swung out of his bed, and began to dress again. It was only when he reached for his hat and cloak that he realized what he was doing. He smiled. The Wildes were forgotten. Instead, the narrow face and the wonderful hair stood before his eyes. He hastily pushed the thought of the wolf aside. What harm could it do to take a little walk and take a look at the cemetery? Just the thought that she might be there made his heart beat faster.

What a fool he was! Yet he buttoned up his coat and quietly opened the door. He didn't care to meet the landlord or have to justify himself to his friend. He could vividly imagine what the latter would think of this outing. Bram made a face and slipped silently out of the house. It was a cool, rainy night, but he enjoyed the fresh air in deep breaths. He walked so briskly that he soon became warm. An expectant tingling ran down his back as he opened the door in the cemetery wall. He quickly looked around. He couldn't see anyone. However, Oughterard Cemetery was too large to be completely overlooked from this spot. Bram passed between the graves of the miners, passed those of the fishermen and other village residents, and went to the corner where the mass graves from the time of the Great Famine were located. He crossed the remains of the church nave three times, but he saw and felt nothing that would indicate the presence of a foreign being. Disappointed, he left the cemetery. Now he should have returned to the inn. He was tired, his legs exhausted from the long march of the previous night, but he couldn't resist the urge. Once more, he set out for the ruined castle called Aughnanure, as he now knew, and to the small cemetery where he had met the girl.

If the friends had hoped to participate in the search for the stone after Ivy's crucial hint, they were disappointed. While Luciano rejoiced that the Lycana seemed to have more pressing concerns than thinking about their punishment, Alisa and Franz Leopold were equally upset.

"I'd rather be punished if it meant I could accompany them afterward," Alisa grumbled, and Franz Leopold believed her. She was a brave vampire, he had to admit—even if she was just a Vamalia.

The sun had barely set when the Lycana and the servants of the other families gathered in the courtyard. Tara had drawn a rough map of Connemara on the ground. Franz Leopold could discern the coastline, some mountains including the Twelve Bens they had visited the previous night, and the two large lakes, Corrib and Mask. Now she took a sharpened twig and began to hatch a shaded area that curved slightly southeastward from the coast near a place called Clifden.

"Here are the caves of the Twelve Bens, here are the lakes where the marble is found on the shores, and at this point is the ore mine," Tara jabbed the stick into the ground, creating a small crater. "The werewolves' trail led us to the shore of Lough Corrib. From this, I conclude that they did not intend to stay on this side of the lake. Moreover, it would be downright audacious to hide the stone in the immediate vicinity of Aughnanure. No, the most logical decision would be to seek a hiding place on the other side of the lake, where the marble band continues."

"The question is, what could that hiding place be?" Donnchadh looked around.

"There are neither mountains nor caves over there. The land becomes flatter and more fertile. There are more sheep pastures and potato fields. And many more people!" Catriona furrowed her brow. "It doesn't quite make sense to me. Why didn't they go to the coast and find a cave or something similar that they could easily defend?"

"Perhaps they will do that once they realize they can't find anything suitable on the eastern side of Lough. It's possible they only boarded the ship to confuse us and then later retreat into the mountains with their loot," Tara suggested.

Donnchadh groaned. "Very well, let's continue the search. At least we now know that the area where they can stay is limited. That gives us new courage! Are you ready to depart?"

Most nodded, but Catriona asked for a postponement.

"I will reinforce the protection of the castle with Tara. After Cameron discovered the trail of our pursuers yesterday, I would feel uneasy if we didn't do everything possible to deny them entry!"

Ireen nudged Rowena in the ribs. The girl started and then asked, "What kind of protection is that?"

"That is old magic, carried by the roots of the yews that are still everywhere in the ground here," Tara explained kindly.

"And how does it work?" Rowena persisted.

"The circle of protection shields those inside the castle. It doesn't hold them if they want to leave the castle, but it doesn't let anyone in unless someone inside opens the door and asks it to cross the threshold."

"Such nonsense! Then they'll just attack from the air," Anna Christina said disdainfully. "They can transform, we already know that."

The Druid shook her head. "The circle of protection doesn't just extend to the earth, and it affects every living being, regardless of shape. However, you are right that its strength is easier to break in the open courtyard than in the protection of the tower. Therefore, we urgently ask you to stay in the tower tonight. We rely on you!"

Grumbling, the heirs returned to the tower, while the other vampires set off to track down the werewolf clan and, above all, the valuable stone.

The young vampires had spread out over the floors of the mighty tower. Some practiced transformations or lured the mice that built their nests between the stones of the walls. However, most sat in the hall and indulged in idleness. Tammo and the Pyras had returned to the upper hall and were playing with a crow that lived in one of the small chambers of the mezzanine. She had injured her wing and now hopped and fluttered around croaking. When she landed in a window niche, Fernand chased her away.

"You can't go out there now. The Druid said everyone has to stay inside, otherwise the magical barrier might be violated!" The raven cawed. "She probably understood that now and will of course comply," Tammo mocked.

"No, of course, she didn't understand the words alone," Joanne objected. "But if we invade her mind and try to make her understand in her language, then she can understand. Crows are intelligent birds. She will calm down and no longer feel locked up."

"I understood it and still feel locked up," Tammo muttered.

In the large hall below, the Dracas had once again distanced themselves from the others and sat together in a corner. They conversed quietly and occasionally cast dark glances at the others. Malcolm, who had been sitting with the Vyrad, got up and joined Alisa. However, she was so deep in thought that she barely noticed him.

Franz Leopold grinned widely. "No luck today," he whispered to Malcolm. "Alisa has more important things to do than deal with a Vyrad with moderate powers. If you're looking for a tutor, you'll have to look elsewhere today!"

Malcolm was outraged and looked at Alisa - evidently expecting support from her side - but she seemed not to have listened and only responded absentmindedly. She traced lines on the dusty floor with her finger. Malcolm gave up and returned to his own.

Over by the fireplace, Mervyn and Sören were teaching new tricks to the two bats that had been constantly accompanying Mervyn for days. Rowena watched them longingly.

"I could summon some too," she said, stepping to one of the window niches. "Look, there are four flying out there. They keep circling the tower."

"Don't!" Ivy stood next to her so suddenly that Franz Leopold had to blink. He hadn't seen her cross the room. "You must not summon them! They will rebound against the protective shield."

"Yes, but if I invite them and let them in, then they should be able to pass through the barrier!" Rowena argued. "That's what the Druid said."

"That's correct," Ivy reluctantly admitted. "And she also told us not to let anyone in! It's for our own protection."

Rowena shrugged. "Then forget it." She fixed her gaze on one of Mervyn's bats. The creature made a sharp turn and flew directly into her open hand.

"Hey, what's that?" protested Mervyn.

Ivy returned to the friends and sat down next to Franz Leopold on the floor, so close that her enchanting scent enveloped him. The desire to kiss her overwhelmed him, stronger and more urgent than any bloodlust, but it was out of the question here in front of the others. But where could they have been undisturbed in this tower, where eighteen young vampires were bustling about? He suppressed a sigh. Until this moment, he had thought that unfulfilled craving for human blood was the worst torment one could endure. Now he realized with astonishment that there was a desire even stronger. It seemed to him to condense like an aura around him. Could the others feel it? Certainly not Luciano, the failure. He sat opposite Ivy, adoring her with his wounded gaze. How could she stand it! And Alisa? Fortunately, she was lost in thought, paying no attention to her surroundings and her friends. That was unusual.

He focused his senses back on Ivy. There was no room for anything else. Could Ivy feel his desire? Did she share it? His senses encountered an impenetrable wall. Why was she still barricading herself against him? Wasn't it time now to share her thoughts? The passion with which she had returned his kiss had not been feigned! And yet she had coldly rejected him afterwards when that guy appeared, making claims on her. Ivy still owed Franz Leopold an explanation, but he hesitated to demand it. He suspected she would rebuff him. And yet he had to know: Who was he, and, above all, what was Ivy's relationship to him? Without his prompting, Franz Leopold's hand moved a little closer, until his fingers touched hers. He felt them stiffen briefly, but she didn't pull them back. Encouraged, he placed his hand over hers. Ivy didn't look at him, but a warm wave hit him, flooding him with bliss, until Alisa suddenly sat up with a jerk and stared at the friends. "Damn! I can't believe it!"

Ivy flinched and withdrew her hand. "What can't you believe?" she asked cautiously.

"That I was so stupid - that we were all so stupid!"

The three stared at her questioningly. "What are you talking about?" Franz Leopold inquired.

"What do you think? What has it been about for nights? About the stone and the hiding place the werewolves are going to! Is there anything else important right now?"

He almost felt a sense of embarrassment, but he quickly pushed it aside with righteous anger. "You should know!"

"Yes, I know now!" Alisa snapped back. "Ivy, what better hiding place could there be for the werewolves than a place they can enter themselves but the Lycana cannot! What use are caves, grottos, and lonely mountains when you can transform into birds and bats and squeeze through even the smallest cracks!"

"What a wonderful new insight!" Franz Leopold mocked.

"Yes, it's a wonderful insight!" Alisa exclaimed excitedly. "Do you remember the night at the Oughterard cemetery? Where did we go to talk undisturbed?"

"Well, to the church," said Luciano, his eyes beginning to light up. Obviously, he had understood what Alisa was getting at. A wave of anger swept over Franz Leopold. How could it be that the chubby guy from Rome understood faster than he did?

Alisa nodded approvingly at him. "Exactly, to a church ruin. It has almost become second nature to us now that we can go anywhere - thanks to the successful training we underwent with the Nosferas!" Luciano beamed.

"Didn't you notice? Not only did our servants stay outside, but no Lycana dared to enter the church, even though only its foundations remain," Alisa declared triumphantly.

Ivy nodded. "Yes, the Lycana avoid the sanctified walls of Ireland, where more powers sleep than in many magnificent churches in Rome."

"They can't enter there!" Alisa exclaimed triumphantly.

"And now, where do you think they'll hide the stone?" Luciano inquired.

Alisa shrugged. "I don't know the exact place, of course, but I bet it's a place protected by powerful church forces. Is there such a place in the region Tara marked? A special church or monastery no longer used by humans?" All three looked at Ivy expectantly.

"I'm not as familiar with the area east of the lake, but I know someone who has been living here for many years!" Ivy exclaimed.

"Áine!" Alisa exclaimed and was already on her feet. The four rushed down the stairs, almost knocking over Ireen, who emerged from the guardroom at that moment. She barely stepped back and watched them with surprise as they rushed past her into the large storage room. Áine's condition remained unchanged. She still hovered between human and animal, and her wounds refused to heal.

"I'm glad you're visiting me," greeted the young vampires. "What's going on? You're planning something, aren't you?"

"No, we just have a question for you, as you know the area around here best," Ivy described the type of place they were looking for. "It shouldn't be too far north or south, as they would then have to move the stone too far from its origin."

Áine furrowed her hairy brow, then said, "Ross Errily. I'm sure there's no better place."

The four looked at each other. "Tell us! What kind of place is it?" demanded Alisa.

Áine sat up in her coffin. It was difficult for her and visibly painful, but Ivy and Alisa helped her find a comfortable position.

"Ross Errily Friary is the largest Franciscan monastery ever founded in Ireland. It must have been in the late Middle Ages."

"Where is it?" Franz Leopold interjected. "We need to know if it's suitable before we waste our time with old stories that won't help us, right?" Alisa gave him an angry glance, but Áine didn't seem to mind the interruption.

"You'll find the ruins on the other side of the lake, about level with Oughterard, if you were to cross the lake there directly." The others nodded. That could fit.

"The monastery stands in a wide, flat valley, only meadows and pastures as far as the eye can see. The nearest place where people live is Headford, an hour's walk away."

"That sounds promising," exclaimed Alisa. "Go on. Every detail could be important to us later!"

"As I said, it's the largest complex of its kind, with two cloisters, a church with two transepts, and the extensive buildings where the monks housed their kitchen and a bakery, then the refectory and other communal rooms. The sleeping quarters on the upper floor are partly destroyed. But some still exist. A wall encloses the entire monastery complex. People say that the monks were expelled from their monastery seven times, but they always returned. Cromwell and his soldiers were said to have been the worst. They plundered and partly destroyed the monastery more than thoroughly. At least some of the roofs are said to have collapsed at that time. After that, it never rose again in its old glory. Only a few monks lived in the half-ruined monastery, and a hundred years later, they gave it up altogether. Since then, it has been left to itself, but its condition is still very good. The walls and remaining roofs are stable, and the tower above the crossing has remained undisturbed in the sky for hundreds of years."

"You said there are only meadows and pastures all around," Alisa picked up on her previous words. "No trees? No bushes?"

Áine thought for a moment and then nodded. "Not much. Just a few stone walls separating the pastures."

"No cover to sneak up unnoticed," Franz Leopold said. "Yes, that sounds exactly like the kind of place that could suit the werewolves."

Luciano, who had sat down cross-legged in front of Áine's coffin, jumped up and brushed the dust off his pants. "Okay, I think that's enough. Let's go!"

"What?" The others stared at him. Luciano was already at the door.

"Where are you going?" Ivy called out.

"To find the Lycana and tell them what we've found out!" he replied, evidently incredulous that his friends were so slow to catch on.

Ivy stepped towards him and grabbed his arm. "You can't do that. We have strict instructions to stay here."

"Yes, I know," Luciano seemed unfazed.

"We must not put the others in danger. We don't know what will happen to the protective barrier if we break it ourselves."

"Probably nothing, if we don't invite anyone in, right? That's how I understood the Druid's words." It was quite a remarkable exception that Luciano was getting support from Franz Leopold.

"So, are you coming or not?" Seymour leaped towards him, baring his teeth and snapping at his sleeve. Ivy rushed to him and dug her fingers into his fur.

"Stop that! I won't tolerate it! If you can't control yourself, you'll have to live among your own kind."

He bit her other hand, leaving the imprints of his teeth in red marks.

"Please," she added more gently. "We started this journey together and we will continue it together for the good of all!"

Franz Leopold stepped to her side. "It's good that you've clarified that. Now you can explain to us in detail what all this means on our way to your clan members. You owe us that, and I won't relent until I have all the answers!"

Ivy wanted to reply, but then Mervyn came down the stairs and stepped under the arch. "Ivy?"

She turned to her cousin. "Yes, what is it?"

"Ireen told me to come down and bring you. Do you know what that means?"

The four looked at him bewilderedly. "Ireen?" Ivy repeated. "I have no idea. She's hardly ever spoken to me. Where is she?"

Mervyn looked around and shrugged. "I don't know." His hand rested on the door handle. The door swung open slightly with a faint creak.

Ivy was by his side with a few big leaps. "What are you doing?"

"It was just ajar!" Mervyn defended himself. "I didn't open it!"

The friends exchanged uneasy glances. "What does this mean?" Alisa said softly, but Ivy was already swinging open the tower door and stepping out into the courtyard. The others crowded behind her.

"By all demons of the night!" Luciano gasped in horror and pointed at the large gate.

"No, Ireen, what are you doing?" Ivy screamed and ran towards her. "Don't open it! You don't know what you're doing!"

But the petite British girl didn't heed her. She unfastened the latch and pulled the gate open with a strong tug.

"Come inside and enter Aughnanure!" she said, stepping aside.