EVEN MORE SECRETS

When the two vampires reached the small graveyard near the castle, it was immediately clear to them that the anger on both sides had by no means cooled down. Luciano and Franz Leopold stood facing each other, just a few steps apart. They only stared at each other, but the air seemed to vibrate with their hatred. The Dracas held the point of his rapier aimed at Luciano's heart, but the Nosferas didn't seem to care. Perhaps his anger blinded him to the danger.

"Leo won't hurt him," Ivy said, but her voice trembled slightly.

"Oh no, he won't," Alisa agreed. "Because I won't allow it!"

She looked around frantically. It irritated her that Seymour hadn't come with them. Was he still sulking because Ivy had locked him up and left him behind? Was he denying her his protection even now? That was not good, but not changeable at the moment.

Clutching the grip of her rapier tightly, Alisa stormed toward the two combatants and stood beside Luciano. "Leo, stop this nonsense!" she scolded. "Do you want to make it even worse? Instead of acknowledging your wrongdoing and asking for forgiveness!"

"I'm supposed to be in the wrong?" Franz Leopold laughed coldly. "Alisa, don't make a fool of yourself. This Nosferas has fatally insulted me and my family, and he must answer for it!"

"He only defended Ivy. It's up to you to apologize for the insults you've inflicted on her," Alisa demanded.

"One cannot insult an impure, for she possesses no honor and dignity. She is a slave created by a pure vampire only to obey and serve him," Franz Leopold retorted.

"Take that back!" Luciano shouted. "Ivy is worth more than your entire decadent family!"

Despite the rapier pointed at him, he tried to rush Franz Leopold, but Alisa pushed him aside and ordered him not to be driven to foolishness by the Dracas. Now she stood eye to eye with Leo. The tips of their rapiers almost touched.

"Do you want to fight me?" Franz Leopold asked incredulously. "Are you suicidal or is your arrogance getting the better of you? You didn't see me fence last night!"

Alisa defiantly lifted her chin. "Oh yes, I saw you fight, and I know I don't master this art, yet I won't stand by while you continue to threaten Luciano. And if the only way to stop you is to risk being impaled by your rapier, then I must face it."

"Why?" Franz Leopold demanded.

"Luciano and Ivy are my friends, and I stand up for them!"

"That's not about bravery anymore, that's just crazy!" Was there a reluctant admiration in his voice?

"It's brave, noble, and crazy!" a rough voice interjected, one Alisa had never heard before. Luciano looked just as puzzled. But recognition and then blind rage spread across Franz Leopold's face.

"You dare!" he shouted and aimed his rapier at the bright figure approaching so quickly that Alisa only recognized her when she stopped a few steps in front of Franz Leopold and looked at him with no less disgust.

Ivy groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Oh please, you mustn't do this!" Alisa had hardly ever seen her friend so helpless. She turned her gaze from Ivy to the tall stranger with silver hair hanging down to her shoulders. She opened and closed her mouth soundlessly.

"Ah, so we meet again. As I see, you brought swords. Of course, that's the weapon of your choice. How could I expect someone like you to be proficient in an elegant rapier fight."

Franz Leopold snorted contemptuously and laid the rapier on the ground. He reached out demanding. "I don't care. Let's begin if you insist on defending her honor, which doesn't even exist."

The stranger threw one of the swords to Franz Leopold, who caught it skillfully. And then the two of them went at each other. They circled each other without taking their eyes off the opponent.

"No! Please, stop!" Ivy pleaded with a sob in her voice.

Luciano stared at the two of them bewilderedly. "Can someone please explain what's going on here? Who's the guy? Where did he suddenly come from, and what does he have to do with Ivy?"

The two combatants clashed their blades, the clashing echoing across the night cemetery, before stepping back to assess each other once more.

"Oh, you don't know the gentleman?" Franz Leopold called out. "Although 'gentleman' is hardly an appropriate term. 'Beast' would suit him much better. Allow me to introduce Seymour, the jealous lover of our impure Ivy, who surely deserves his anger, considering her view on fidelity! No, our Ivy loves to have her fun with those she could charm with her false charm."

"That's not true!" Ivy cried out desperately.

"No?" For a heartbeat, Franz Leopold turned to her. There was so much coldness in his gaze that Alisa shuddered. "Isn't it true that he just tore you away from my arms here at this place?"

"It's not how you think!"

The brief distraction almost cost Franz Leopold possession of his sword. Seymour lunged forward and struck, but the Dracas managed to parry, retreated, and sought to regain his balance.

"Of course it's not like that!" Alisa exclaimed indignantly. "Are you completely blind? It's obvious to everyone. Seymour must be Ivy's brother, right?"

Franz Leopold had regained his composure and now drove Seymour back. "Her brother? Impossible."

Ivy stepped forward. "Yes, that's how it is. And now stop fighting, please. There's no reason for it."

Seymour, who had apparently held back until now, leaped forward with a series of powerful blows, causing Franz Leopold's sword to fly off in a high arc. Ivy jumped aside and caught it.

"So, now all hostilities are over. I admit, it may have been a mistake to keep it secret until now, but we thought it was for the best. Now the time for deception is over, and I'll tell you everything you want to know."

"Your brother Seymour!" Luciano gasped incredulously.

"Yes, of course. You must have known by now that he's not a normal wolf. Your sharp observation seems to have been limited to Ivy," Alisa remarked.

Luciano shrugged and grinned weakly. "Yes, sure, for a long time he was just a wolf to me."

Alisa rolled her eyes, but then her gaze fell on Seymour's left arm. "Look, he... wears the third armlet of the cloch adhair! Then he's the werewolf chosen by the clan?"

"Yes and no," Ivy said. "I'm ready to tell you the story if Leo could decide to put aside his hostility."

"I'm hostile?" he exclaimed angrily. "I can't remember acting hostile when he attacked me the first time!"

Accusingly, he pointed at Seymour.

"You had no right to touch my sister!"

"That's none of your business," the Dracas retorted.

"Yes, it is, because your current behavior proves me right. You despise her because she used to be human - just like I was. I knew your attitude, and I'm not willing to accept that anyone hurts Ivy's soul."

"Her soul," Franz Leopold scoffed. "She lost that when she became a vampire."

"Maybe," the werewolf conceded. "I'm not going to judge that. But like all of us, she has feelings, and I won't allow a brat like you to trample on them!"

"That won't happen anymore," said Franz Leopold stiffly. "An impure isn't worth my attention." With that, he left the cemetery with his head held high.

"You damn idiot!" Luciano shouted after him. "You're not even worth looking at her, she's so far above you, no matter what blood flows in her veins!"

Seymour stepped up to her and put his arm around her shoulder.

"Little sister, I must say, you made a very poor choice to lose your heart."

"If I even still have a heart," she mumbled and placed her hand on her chest. She seemed to be listening to herself. "The way it hurts, though, there might actually be something like a heart in me."

"How old are you actually?" Alisa asked to distract Ivy. "May I guess?"

"Please."

"I would say, at least a hundred years."

Ivy smiled weakly. "How did you guess?"

They sat on the moss-covered tombstones. Seymour stayed by his sister's side. He was much taller than her, and she leaned against his arm.

"I simply assume that you've been wearing the armband from the start. And since the ninety-nine years since the peace negotiations have almost passed..."

Ivy nodded. "That's correct. Seymour, Tara, and I have been wearing the bands for almost ninety-nine years to the day. And that's also how long it's been since I became a vampire and Seymour became a werewolf. At the beginning of the negotiations, we were still humans - albeit very special ones, because the ancient magic of the Druids flowed in our veins."

Alisa slapped her forehead. "By the demons of the underworld, why didn't I think of that earlier. Tara is your mother!"

"Yes," Ivy said simply. "The three of us were present at the negotiations when Turlough brought the armbands that he had made from the cloch adhair. The proposal was good, but they couldn't agree on who should wear them. The elders seemed too poisoned by the hatred of the war years, the strong young ones were too reckless and eager for too many innovations."

"Who made the proposal?" asked Alisa, becoming more aware of the enormity of this decision. "Did it happen against your will?" She shuddered at the thought. In her mind, she pictured the girl Ivy and her brother, how the vampires and werewolves discussed them and then dragged them away from their mother's side to make them what they were.

"No, we both agreed. In fact, it was our idea," Seymour replied, looking up at Ivy, whose human eyes shone in the same turquoise as Ivy's. He took her hands.

"Yes," he confirmed. "We were young and full of heroic thoughts, and we saw the sorrow in our mother's eyes as peace seemed to be slipping away. That night gave birth to the thought that we would be the pledge - bound in love: Druid, werewolf, and vampire. Tara's heart was broken, but we left her no choice, so she had to give in."

"At full moon, they performed the ritual at the ancient burial mounds."

"It made you immortal," Luciano interjected. "Well, at least Ivy, but werewolves also live very long. As humans, you would have long been dust. It was a good decision."

Ivy looked at him with a soft smile. "If you've never been human, you can't empathize with what you lose. Everything is natural for you. Humans are just prey in your eyes. I still see them in a different light and left their company with a heavy heart. You haven't experienced life in the light of day. But sometimes, I feel the urge to sit outside when the day awakens, to listen to the birds and bathe my face in the warm light of the rising sun."

"It's not warm, it's destructively hot!" Luciano corrected.

"For you, yes, and for me since the transformation too."

Alisa looked into the distance, her forehead furrowed in thought. "But one thing I don't understand. Why did Seymour stay with you? Why does he live with the Lycana and not with the werewolf clan out in the moors?"

Ivy and Seymour exchanged a quick glance. "I wasn't ready to leave them. Ivy is still my twin sister, and I protect her no matter where she goes."

"That's a thorn in the side of the werewolves," Alisa guessed.

"Yes, that's why they accuse us of betrayal and treachery. They say Tara speaks only for the vampires and that Seymour belongs more to the Lycana than to them. That's why they feel betrayed and think it's their right to withhold the stone from the Druids."

"I can understand the werewolves," said Luciano, ignoring Seymour's growl. "It does smell a bit like a rigged game. Each clan should have had one of the chosen ones."

"They had the cloch adhair in their hands," Seymour grumbled back.

"Rightfully so! The lot decided that it belonged to them first," Ivy said.

"And if Seymour agrees to live with his clan from now on? Maybe then everything would return to normal, and the impending war could be prevented," Alisa suggested somewhat tentatively.

"Never!" Seymour exclaimed.

"Now, I believe it's too late for that gesture," Ivy said.

"Good," said Luciano, getting up. "Then we have to ensure that the disputes are ended in other ways and that the stone goes where it belongs according to the contract: into the hands of the Druids!"

"Yes, of course, but what do you have in mind? We can't do anything at the moment. We have to wait until the Lycana come back and then report to them that, in our opinion, the werewolves are hiding the stone in Ross Errily."

"And then?" Luciano retorted. "Then they'll go to the monastery, knock on the gate, and say: Please give us the stone? The werewolves will chuckle to themselves. As you yourself said, they chose this place carefully because no Lycana can enter it."

"Except Ivy and Mervyn."

"Exactly, except Ivy, Mervyn, and the rest of us who were in Rome and learned to strengthen our powers."

"They'll refuse to take us with them again," Alisa said slowly.

Luciano nodded in agreement. "Yes, I suspect so too."

"So we have to provide them with the support they need without their permission!"

Luciano grinned. "Yes, that's how I see it too. We've defeated the pursuers. The sun burned their bodies. So why should we hide behind the castle walls any longer?"

"Let's go," Seymour grumbled, transforming back into his usual wolf form.

Ivy also got up. "Yes, I think they need our help. Let's go," she repeated her brother's words and followed him through the cemetery gate, which closed softly behind them with a creak.

The friends had wanted to sneak away secretly, but in the castle courtyard, they ran into Malcolm and some other heirs who apparently suspected they were planning something. So, they reluctantly told them what they were up to.

"So you want to go to the other side of the Lough, find the Lycana, and then besiege the monastery ruins with them until the werewolves hand over the stone," Malcolm summarized.

"Yes, something like that."

"Good, let's go!" said Malcolm, gathering the other Vyrads around him, who seemed determined to take on the task, even if Raymond's expression always looked a bit anxious.

Tammo, Joanne, and Fernand loudly demanded to participate in this exciting mission.

"I was afraid we'd be facing the time of great boredom again after this exciting night, where all we can do is play with mice and sheep," Tammo grinned from ear to ear, while Fernand secured one of the silver swords that Ivy had brought into the castle courtyard.

"I'm not sure if we should take them with us," Ivy said quietly.

Alisa nodded. "I'm not sure what's more dangerous. Having Tammo there and keeping an eye on him or leaving him here with the others."

Even Luciano's cousin Maurizio and his cousin Chiara left no doubt that they wouldn't stay here if there was a fight to be fought out there, in which their shadows were already involved.

To Alisa's great surprise, Karl Philipp also approached, took the sword from Alisa, which had already served him well, and announced that they would be in trouble without his fighting skills.

"You want to leave us here without protection?" his younger cousin Marie Luise exclaimed shrilly.

Karl Philipp shrugged. "If you don't want to come with, then stay here. I don't care. I, for one, won't miss the opportunity for a glorious battle. The balls and social gatherings in Vienna are nice, but why do we receive all this fencing training? Just to compete against our fencing master in the hall at home? Now we can finally see what we've learned! Even though the circumstances here in Ireland leave me cold, and it's actually beneath my dignity to fight for Lycana. But I'll be magnanimous! Maybe Franz Leopold will stay here and play the protector for you."

Their gazes turned to the Dracas, who stood a little apart from them, arms crossed in front of his chest. For a moment, Alisa could observe the inner struggle in his expression, then he was the unapproachable mask again.

"Franz Leopold, you have to stay with us!" Marie Luise whined.

Perhaps her pleading tone tipped the scales. Franz Leopold looked at her with the contempt he usually reserved for the other families. Then he joined his cousin. "If you need a nanny, then you'll have to come with me."

Marie Luise sobbed, but her cousin silenced her. She approached Alisa and reached for the second sword. "I assume you don't know how to handle it?" Alisa shook her head. "Then it's probably better if you leave it to me."

With a puzzled expression, Alisa handed the sword to the beautiful Viennese woman. With one hand, she gathered her long gown, took a step forward, and let the blade swoosh through the air a few times.

"Not bad at all," she reluctantly admitted, joining her cousins with a warlike expression. Marie Luise stared at her accusingly.

"I'm not staying here alone!" she cried and hurried to the others. "I'd rather be part of this madness, which I don't understand why you want to deal with!"

"Let's just say we've had enough sheep, wolves, and bats and crave some excitement," Anna Christina snorted disparagingly.

Sören and Mervyn watched the proceedings attentively. "Sören, are you staying with Mervyn?" Ivy asked. "We shouldn't leave him alone."

Mervyn bent down to pick up the axe and weighed it in his hand. "Of course, I'm coming! The druid's remedy works wonders. The pain is bearable. I won't be a burden to you or slow you down!"

"And if I do, then I'll help him!" emphasized Sören.

Ivy looked around. Determination and a thirst for adventure shone in her eyes. "We must not recklessly endanger the heirs of the families. We must choose our path very carefully," she said quietly to Alisa.

"How do we get to the other side?" Alisa replied. "We can't all transform into bats in the mine."

Ivy shook her head. "No, that's impossible. Many are not ready yet."

"Do we have to walk around the lake on foot?" Luciano grimaced. "It's quite extensive, isn't it?"

"Yes, that would take too long," said Ivy. "I have another idea. Follow me!"

After dividing up all the weapons they could get hold of among themselves, they set off. They didn't speak much, but the tension was evident on their faces as they followed Ivy along the shore of the Lough to the north.

"What's going on?" Nellie started awake. Had she nodded off on the back of her pony? The gentle rocking had made her sleepy, although the dreams she sank into were interspersed with frightening images, among which the dead with torn throats kept recurring. Now, as the horses suddenly stopped, her mind returned to the nighttime procession.

"Why are we stopping?" Nellie asked her brother.

Excited voices could be heard from up ahead. Her father, Lorcan, and Mac Gaoth were arguing about something.

"What's it about?" Nellie wanted to know.

Cowan shrugged. "How should I know?" He urged his pony closer. Finally, he returned.

"And?" his sister pressed.

"Mac Gaoth wants us to follow the eastern shore of the Lough."

Nellie stared at her brother in bewilderment. "Why on earth does he want that? We need to hide the weapons in the mountains where no one can find them. We need to trek through the moors where our tracks can't be followed."

"That's what Father and Lorcan say too, but Mac Gaoth insists that he knows a perfect hiding place. It has the advantage that - if the uprising begins - we won't have to retrieve the weapons from the rugged terrain of Connemara. Which isn't a dumb idea, if you ask me."

Nellie shook her head. "I don't trust him. It's a mistake to get involved with someone like him."

"Why? Everything he's suggested so far has been to our advantage. Just look at how many weapons we've captured. Through Mac Gaoth, we've come a long way closer to our goal."

Nellie fell silent. She thought again of the two horribly mutilated corpses, but how could she convey her monstrous suspicion to her brother, which she herself could hardly believe?

"Did he say what kind of hiding place it is? Where is it located?"

"As far as I understand, we can reach it before dawn. It's an abandoned monastery."

"A monastery? And that's supposed to be safe? Even if it's just a ruin, people go there to bury their dead on consecrated ground - especially here in Connemara, where they have to protect the dead from being desecrated by the bloodsuckers of the night!"

Cowan grimaced. "Do you really believe that nonsense that Grandma used to scare us kids with?"

"She didn't want to scare us," Nellie countered. "She just passed on to us what she'd heard over the course of her long life and what she'd experienced herself."

"All nonsense from senile old people who can't hear and see well anymore."

"Oh really? And what was that creature that the bloodhounds chased and then suddenly vanished into thin air? It certainly wasn't a human!"

"But surely not a vampire or werewolf or whatever else you believe in."

"And why not? Because my brother is the only one clever enough to know better than the many people who have a few dozen more years under their belt?"

"Hush! Have you both lost your minds?" Fynn snapped at them. They fell silent. They hadn't realized how their voices were being carried away in the nocturnal silence. Now they realized that the men at the front of the procession had fallen silent too. Nellie felt Mac Gaoth's piercing gaze on her. Then Father ordered them to ride on. Instead of crossing the ford, he turned towards the eastern shore of the Lough. Mac Gaoth had once again prevailed.