Napoleon's Coat Tails

The war in Europe was in all the news so Sabine suggested they go there. It was a brilliant idea. They would become camp followers of Napoleon's army,

“There will always be a nearby house with a cellar where we can rest during the day. By night, like the Valkyrie of old we shall sweep down on the battlefield and dispatch those men who still lie wounded on the field of battle. Why kill people ourselves when there are so many others who will do it for us?”

Sabine booked them passage 5 days hence. They would have time to pack and Sabine would make arrangements with a lawyer in town to manage the upkeep of the estate. She would continue to pay the staff in their absence. Nothing like a steady income and little work to assure their continued silence.

When they began to pack Sabine insisted that they keep their belongings down to a steamer trunk for each of them.

“No more than we can carry ourselves if need be. We’ll get news of the Emperor's activity before we depart.” 

For Cassandra the timing could not have been better. She had read in the local press That barrister Henry Flynn was soon to marry again. Despite her best efforts she could not help but weep. She recalled the long ago days of their courtship, the walks of along the river. The intimacies they shared in the bedroom and the joy at the birth of their children. She remembered how they had grieved and provided comfort for each other on the deaths of two of their children. All of it seemed a lifetime ago though it had only been two years. How she longed for those days of affection and those days of great sadness. She longed for them now more than ever. Henry’s remarriage was the final nail in the coffin on that love though she knew those in her own had been enough. 
Katherine was growing and thriving like never before. Since surviving pertussis she had been in robust health. She was indeed growing quickly and would soon be a woman. Cassandra longed to be the one to introduce her to the mysteries of womanhood but those were days which would never happen. Now her world was one of murder, blood and sex. She had grown to love Sabine but their relationship would never have the feeling of oneness she had felt with Henry, with Katherine.

The day day of departure arrived quickly. They had learned that Napoleon’s armies were in Austria and were expected to move on Prussia soon. Sabine arranged a carrier to convey their trunks to Edinburgh three days prior. The trip from Dublin to Belfast would take 10 hours. The coach arrived just before sunset and though the sun was still in the sky, Sabine and Cassandra ventured outside, each wrapped in a heavy cloak with a hood. “We can venture out in daylight but the sun will burn your skin if not protected. It also consumes a great deal of energy and you will need to feed soon after to restore yourself. Your powers are also greatly diminished during daylight hours. Only do it when necessary, like this evening we need to be in Belfast to catch the tide tomorrow night for our trip across the channel. We’ll need to spend the night there. We’ll hire horses upon our arrival in Scotland and ride to Glasgow, change horses then proceed the rest of the distance to Edinburgh. With luck we’ll arrive before daybreak.”

The two women climbed on board the coach with the aid of a step. After they settled in the coachman snapped the reins and the and coach lurched forward. The horses were soon at a gallop. “I promised the coachman two quid extra if he got us there in less than ten hours.” The ride was bumpy and uncomfortable but they arrived in Belfast Ten hours later. By this time they were both hungry. At the docks and found a sailor and a prostitute in an alley. The woman went to Sabine, the man to Cassandra. After, they headed for the docks in search of a ship to take them to Scotland. They learned that Napoleon’s armies were in Austria and not yet started their move on Prussia. Since he seemed to be unstoppable Sabine thought Danzig in North East Prussia was a likely place to catch him.

“I’ll try to find a vault to sleep in during the daylight hours. Failing that we’ll find a house with a dark cellar in which to lie.” With that Sabine spread her wings and rose to survey the area. Sabine returned several minutes later. “I’ve found a manor house with a chapel away from the house that has a crypt inside. It is dark and dusty like no one has been there in a long while. The tombs look ancient. There is a slab on each. One is a knight the other a lady. Come, we can run. It’s not far.

Quickly Cassandra and Sabine were standing at the doors of an ancient chapel. The door was easily opened and the two women stepped inside. With their preternatural eyes they could see that towards the rear of the building were two stone crypts with elaborately carved tomb slabs, the crypts submerged into the ground. Closing the door behind them, Sabine advanced on the grave where the knight in armour lay on the slab. It was difficult for her to get a firm grip but finally she managed to break the seal and push the top to the side. Inside lay the skeletal remains of a man dressed in armour. The cloth that lay underneath had mostly rotted away with the passage of time.

“I don’t think I want to lay down beside him for the day. Kneeling, she reached in and pulled the bones up. The legs clattered back down into the grave and the skull fell with a thunk.

“I cannot believe we are doing this!”

Sabine looked over her shoulder and smiled,

“Welcome to the world of a travelling vampire. If you’d rather we could kill everyone in the house and sleep in a cellar? A manor of this size could have many people in it, perhaps even children.” Cassandra was not happy but she resigned herself to the situation.

“What shall we do with them?” she asked as she motioned to the crypts

Sabine thought about this. Leaving them out would be a risk in the unlikely event someone entered the chapel during the day. Tossing them in the woods risked a dog bringing home a leg bone or rib. Then she had an idea. Quietly she walked over to the woman’s tomb and pulled the slab off it. Inside was the smaller skeleton of a woman dressed what in her former life would probably have been a fine gown. Now it was withering tatters. She picked up the knight’s remains and laid his bones on top of his wife’s. She laughed, “Now even death shan't put them apart! Together for eternity”. You and I shall rest in the other grave.

A smile came to Cassandra’s serious face, “The lengths you’ll go to get me into bed with you! Do you plan to have me on the stony floor of that grave?”