Chapter 9

The Coven

They made their way back to Leif's office but to their surprise he wasn't there. They figured that he had run off to tell Strahd where they were. That was fine for now, Ryan explained, since if Strahd really was a vampire, they still had several hours before he woke up. So they retraced their steps and soon found themselves back outside the tower where they'd almost lost Kevin and Leif. This time they went skyward and after a hundred feet of climbing they saw the object that Rebecca had shot. It was a heart, a large one, nearly three feet across. The heart was still now, suspended from the tower's wooden supports by fibrous and vein-lined growths. Viscous blood still oozed from the bullet wound. Rebecca admired her marksmanship and Richard leaned over the side of the stairs and puked.

"Just im…", Richard said heaving again. "Imagine if I were a vampire. I'd starve."

Richard held his breath after a try at breathing through his mouth. "Gaaahhhh! I can taste it.", he moaned.

Near the heart there was a landing which led to a bridge connecting the tower that they were in with the flat top of another tower. Rebecca looked out across the bridge. It was slippery from all the rain that was falling and looked very dangerous to cross.

"Let's keep going up.", Rebecca advised. The others looked at the bridge and agreed.

Up they went, around and around until the stairs emerged into a brightly lit room that had manacles attached to the walls and a hexagram etched into the stone floor. Against one wall was a small chest. Rebecca's eyes lit up and she walked carefully over to the chest, pointing her rifle at it as if it were a wild animal. Richard took one look at the manacles and bravely decided to guard the back of the group. He kept remembering the feeling of the machete biting through the dead body that he had hacked back in the chapel. To him it felt like what he did was wrong, but he also had to admit that it had been exciting.

Rebecca pointed her rifle at the lock. "Okay, stand back.", she said.

"Umm.", Ryan began to say.

"What about the ricochet?", Anthony pointed out.

"Don't do it. You might damage the contents.", Richard added. He turned to Anthony. "Got a screwdriver?", he asked.

Rebecca relaxed and pointed the rifle away. She knew that Richard was right. If her reward was in the chest the last thing that she wanted to do was to blow a hole in it. Then she remembered.

"Anthony?", Rebecca asked. "Do you still have that key?"

"Or the key. That'd be better.", Richard said, a little embarrassed that he didn't think of it first. He hoped that Rebecca wouldn't make a big deal out of that. To his relief she was too concerned about what was in the chest to bother berating him.

Anthony patted his pockets for a moment, producing a flathead screwdriver, and then the key. He handed Rebecca the key and she slung her rifle and walked over to the chest. She was eager to open the chest and see what was inside. After all, this was the reward that Madame Eva had talked about. Her reward. She knelt down before the chest and put the key into the lock. Silently Richard snuck up behind her.

"BZZZZT!", Richard hissed as he tapped her on the shoulder.

Startled, Rebecca jumped away from the chest. When she figured out what had happened she gave Richard a firm elbow to his groin.

"You always were easy to get with that one.", Richard gasped, recovering his composure.

At first the key appeared to be too large for the lock on the chest. But as they all watched, it shrunk and morphed as Rebecca slid it into the lock. She turned the key smoothly and with a soft click the lid popped open. Set in the velvet lining of the richly decorated chest was some sort of wand. It was a rod about 3/4" in diameter and one foot long. It looked to be composed of solid silver and was covered in fine etchings of strange symbols. Each end was capped with a three-pointed crown.

"Oh, that's cool!", Richard erupted.

Rebecca reached in and carefully picked up the wand. She stood up holding the wand, smiling like a little girl on Christmas morning. The metal was cool to her touch and she could clearly feel the many odd symbols under her fingers.

Ireena looked on in wonder. "What do you think it does?", she asked.

"It's magic.", Rebecca said, marveling at the wand. "Like in 'Harry Potter'."

Rebecca pointed the wand at the wall and tried to make it work, but she couldn't remember the words that they spoke in the movie.

"Something leviosa or something, right?", Rebecca asked.

"Wait, what about the ricochet?", Anthony said, pretending to duck for cover.

"It might be a Wand of Bitch.", Richard said, still smarting from the Rebecca's elbow. "You use it and nag people to death."

"Then you're in deep shit.", Rebecca said pointing the wand at Richard playfully.

"Or maybe it's a Wand of Asshole.", Richard continued, stepping away from where Rebecca was pointing the wand. "You become an accountant in a little cell."

Anthony also edged away from Rebecca.

"Don't do that!", Richard shouted as Rebecca moved her wand to follow him. "Our DM fried a player who waved a wand around like that. He was holding it backward!"

"Which way is forwards?", Rebecca asked as she looked down at the wand and tried to figure it out.

Ryan adjusted his glasses and peered at the wand while Rebecca fiddled with it. "These are alchemical symbols.", he said. He pointed at a few of them, "Gold, silver, platinum, earth, air, fire, water."

"So I like, put my finger over the one I want?", Rebecca asked.

"Elementary!", Ryan replied, fighting the urge to add "My dear Watson". Instead he added, "I guess. Try it and see."

"So, which way should I point it?", Rebecca asked.

Ryan laughed. "Away from me.", he giggled.

Rebecca looked down at the symbol for gold. She smiled, pointed the wand at the floor, and pressed it.

"Wing of bat and fox tail stews...momma needs a new pair of shoes.", Rebecca said, hoping that it would fill the room with golden coins.

The end of the wand which was pointed towards the floor began to glow with a bright golden light. After a moment the glow intensified at the three points of the crown cap before leaping out as a trio of focused beams of light. The light flashed and then died away, leaving scorch marks on the stone floor.

"Um.", Richard began.

"Wicked!", Rebecca exclaimed.

"Why does she always get the cool stuff?", Travis said, turning towards to Kevin.

"She's a chick.", Richard interrupted.

"Wrong.", Rebecca shot back at Richard. "I'm a chick with a magic wand. And an attitude. So watch yourself."

"You've always had an attitude.", Richard retorted. The he changed his voice to sound like Irene's grandmother. "But I can still turn ye over my kneee!", he said, putting his hand on his hip and shaking his index finger at her.

"Ryan, is there a 'mute' button on this thing?", Rebecca asked, smiling.

"See? I was right about it being a Wand of Bitch after all.", Richard replied.

"Just be careful with it.", Ryan said, smiling. "Those symbols might have different meanings. There's no telling what each one might do."

Travis looked down at the scorch marks left by the wand on the stone floor. "Taking care of Strahd might not be so hard with that little toy.", he said hopefully.

"Okay. Let's go.", Rebecca said, holding her wand like a prize.

Richard thought about some of the dungeons and dragons games he'd been in and let out a nervous laugh.

Travis raised an eyebrow in Richard's direction. "What?", he said.

"You're tempting the dungeon master.", Richard pointed out, half seriously. "Rocks fall, everybody dies."

Travis just rolled his eyes.

"We don't have everything yet.", Rebecca said. "Isn't everyone supposed to get something?"

Ryan recited part of the old woman's prophecy. "A place of tranquility, a harbor for the mighty and powerful.", he said, remembering what Madame Eva had told him. "It is in a place of wisdom, warmth, and despair. Great secrets are there."

Ryan's brow creased in thought. "What sort of place in a castle would fit that description?", he wondered out loud.

"A library?", Rebecca replied.

"The bedroom?", Richard chimed in, revealing more about his childhood than what he wanted the others to know.

"Possible...", Anthony said, then clarified himself. "That it would be the library."

"How about the bathroom?", Richard said, trying to distract the other from what he'd just said. "They say the greats did their best thinking on the pot."

Ryan ignored Richard and nodded to Rebecca. "Yes, or a study or something like that. Heaven knows how to find it from here though.", he said with a frown.

"What's across the bridge?", Rebecca wondered.

"It looks like another tower.", Ismark replied, peering out through one of the windows. "And I can see a staircase leading down from its roof."

"Maybe that's where Richard needs to go.", Rebecca said with a little smile, eager to see the look on his face when he had to cross the bridge.

Down the stairs they went and came to a slender stone and masonry bridge. It hung over the dark gap between the towers and the stones were wet and slippery from the rain. The old iron railings had rusted away years ago, leaving the bridge without handholds. Anthony looked down and saw that they were over fifty feet above the castle roof with the courtyard over seventy feet further down. He took a step out onto the bridge and then thought better of it.

"We should go get the ladder.", Rebecca said. "And lay it across."

Kevin flinched as he touched the wound on his head. "Good idea. Ismark, will you give me a hand?", he said as he headed back down the spiral stairs.

"Let's not split up.", Rebecca said.

Kevin swayed on his feet a little and braced himself against the wall with one hand. "Well, come on then.", he said to Rebecca.

One by one the others followed. Richard took up the rear, checking over his shoulder for a Balrog.

"You shall not pass!!", Richard mumbled as he left the bridge behind.

They found the ladder where they had left it and hauled it back up the blood stained steps. A turmoil of black, boiling clouds rolled unceasingly over the dark towers of Castle Ravenloft and a chill rain soaked them to the bone. Occasional flashes of lightning revealed the slick rooftop below. The far tower roof was rimmed with broken parapets, and on one side they could see another spiral staircase leading down into the castle.

The ladder was a great help in traversing the treacherous bridge. Though they all got wet, no one slipped and no one fell.

"Lets take the ladder with us. Just to be safe.", Rebecca said after getting across safely.

Richard gave her a funny look. "How are you going to get it down the stairwell?", he sneered. "You gonna fold it up or something?"

"Crap.", Rebecca said, looking at the staircase. "Why do I get the feeling that if we leave it behind that it won't be here when we get back?"

"Paranoia?", Anthony wondered out loud.

"Because that's how it works, usually.", Richard replied.

Rebecca shrugged and set the ladder down at the top of the tower. "Okay. Let's go.", she said, leading them downward into the unknown.

Down the spiral steps of the second tower they went, reaching the first landing down. At the landing there was a door to one side and the stairs continued to spiral back down into the castle.

"Around and 'round and 'round it goes.", Richard said, talking mainly to himself.

"What's behind the door?", Rebecca asked.

"The other side.", Richard thought but didn't say, instead he said, "Could be dangerous. You go first."

"Isn't it your thing that we're looking for?", Rebecca chided him.

"We don't know that.", Richard replied. "What order did the fortunes get told in?"

"Not in the order we've found the stuff so far.", Ryan pointed out.

"You're scared.", Rebecca said to Richard smiling.

"No shit.", Richard shot back. "Hey, Ryan. I'm scared!"

"I had no idea.", Ryan said, deadpan.

"I hide it well, don't I?", Richard continued. "I think Travis should lead, simply because he's got a shield he can deflect crossbow bolts with it."

"Only one way to find out what's in there.", Travis said, shrugging.

"Rebecca can provide covering fire with her death-stick.", Richard added.

Travis readied his shield and opened the door. As he entered the room, an evil essence embraced them. The low ceiling seemed to press down upon them. Torn and broken couches lay in heaps, haphazardly strewn about the room. Deep claw marks covered the hardwood furniture. Claw marks had also sliced the once-lush upholstery to shreds. From the dark shadows on the floor, amid the rubble, three pairs of green eyes stared at the intruders.

"Yipe.", Richard yelped, pulling out his machete. "Told you it was dangerous."

Rebecca aimed her wand at the eyes. "Stay back!", she shouted.

One of the sets of eyes moved forward from the shadowed rubble. In a languid motion the long body of a feline emerged from the dark place. The seemingly normal cat, black as pitch, stretched and flexed its claws in front of it. The other two sets of eyes emerged and behaved in a similar fashion. They appeared identical to the first cat.

Richard's shoulders slumped. He waited for Rebecca to make a "pussy" remark.

"Ooooh, look out Ricky.", Rebecca mocked, making hissing sounds and clawing motions.

The lead cat strode forward and winded itself around Rebecca's legs, purring loudly. The other two sat down and watched the group.

"Dare we go into the next room.", Rebecca said laughing. "There might be gerbils."

"Dammit.", Richard cursed.

Ireena knelt down and extended her hand to the first cat. It sniffed at her hand and accepted the scratching she provided. The other two approached. All three begin to move around Ireena, purring.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea.", Anthony said nervously. "I'm starting to get a really bad feeling about those cats."

"They seem nice enough.", Ireena replied smiling.

"You used to love to play with all the cats in the old barn.", Rebecca said to Ireena.

"Ireena.", Ismark said, scolding her.

Ireena suddenly remembered where she was and stood up. "Maybe you're right.", she said.

"Where there are cats, they're aren't wolves, right?", Rebecca asked.

"Where there are vampires, black cats aren't likely to be lucky.", Anthony cautioned.

The cats seemed displeased with the sudden lack of attention and they slowly retreated back to their pile of ruined furniture.

"I do like cats.", Ireena reminisced. "Father would never let me keep one though. He believed they were bad luck."

"Well let's hope that they're not.", Rebecca said.

Anthony strode through the room and put his ear to the South door, covering the other with his hand. He heard a door closing in the next room, but nothing more.

Anthony stepped back from the door with a look of concern on his face. "There was or is someone in there.", he said. "I heard a door close."

"It's probably Strahd's lawyer chained to another desk.", Rebecca said smiling. Travis grinned.

"Well, we can turn back and find another way or we can go in and say 'hi'.", Travis said, clarifying the situation.

"Since it's not dangerous, you lead.", Richard sneered.

"What? You don't feel like livin' la vida loca?", Travis replied.

"I outlived everyone else in a game by being a coward like I am in real life.", Richard answered.

Anthony opened the door just a crack, as quietly as possible, and looked inside. He saw a large room with a low ceiling of heavy beams, lit only by the dim light of two leaded glass windows in the south wall. Steel latticework covered both windows, illuminated by flashes of lightning. Several tables filled the room, their legs seeming to barely support the large number of glass jars and bottles that sat atop them. Anthony saw no one in the room, but spied another door on the other side. He stepped towards the hinged edge of the door, allowing those with better weapons to get a good view into the room as he pushed the door wide open.

Travis entered and declared in a whisper, "Looks clear."

"So this is where he takes his recycling?", Rebecca said, trying to be funny and failing.

Richard pondered what he knew about the size of the tower. "There's not another door out, unless they went through a trapdoor or something, so there's got to be someone in that room.", he said, pointing to far door.

Rebecca got both her rifle and wand ready, one in each hand. Travis readied his shield and shotgun and stood next to her. Richard went to the door and put his hand on the knob.

"On three.", Richard mimed. He held up one finger and slowly turned the knob. Then he held up two fingers, then three. All at once he jerked the door open and stood behind it, protecting himself, and ready to slam it shut if he needed to.

Rebecca and Travis looked in. Through the darkness of the next room they could just barely see green-glowing wisps bubbling up from a huge black kettle, but they couldn't see anyone inside.

"The invisible man.", Rebecca whispered. "Hmmm. It looks like someone's brewing a magic potion."

The group relaxed. Ireena looked around the room full of glasses and jars. She picked one up and read the label, "Eye of newt."

"Gingrich?", Richard added.

"So maybe there's like a book open to the recipe somewhere?", Rebecca asked, a little awed by the obvious signs of witchcraft all around.

Anthony frowned. "If they finished and I heard them entering that room.", he said pointing his head towards the cauldron room. "Then…"

"So where did they go?", Rebecca asked, asking Anthony's question for him.

"Good question. I dunno.",  Anthony replied. Then he noticed a patch of disturbed dust behind him and walked over to it.

"There's a book.", Rebecca said gasping at a tome sitting open next to the cauldron.

Richard stepped into the room and looked around, checking out the magical ingredients.

Anthony examined the disturbed dust. He swung his hammer through the empty-looking space but hit nothing. He looked closer and noticed that the gap around one of the floor stones was larger than the others which fit tightly with the grout. That stone was about two and a half feet square.

Ireena came over to Rebecca's side. "What do you think is in it?", she asked.

"I don't know.", Rebecca said, walking over to the book.

Ireena followed Rebecca and Kevin followed Ireena. All three stared at the strange writing in the book. The tome was a large one, bound in old black leather. It was currently open, revealing yellowed paper. The words on the pages were written in a harsh scratch-like script that none of the three had ever seen before.

"Ryan?", Rebecca called out.

Ryan entered the room and glanced at the book. "This handwriting is terrible. I think it's some derivation of Latin.", he said. Then he pointed at a few words. "Fire, cold, fear, umm darkness. I can't make much else out."

"Eye of newt. Toe of dog.", Richard said, pretending to read the labels on the jars. "Hmmph! Looks like split garlic cloves! Dragonwort looks like an asparagus tip. No kingsfoil?"

"He's a bit low on cat's piss.", Richard added, continuing to amuse himself. "Must get it fresh instead. Hah! Sesame seeds! Except it's supposedly demon-eggs."

Jolting sounds of cackling suddenly struck, sending a shudder through everyone in the cauldron room. The door to the jar room slammed shut and out of nowhere figures began to appear around the cauldron, seven in all. Women, from maiden to crone they were, and likewise dressed in a varied manner, from alluring to ragged. They surrounded Rebecca, Ireena, Kevin, and Ryan. Rebecca pointed her rifle at one and her wand at another.

Anthony jumped up and ran back to the door. He tried to re-open it to no avail. Travis told him to stand back and began trying to smash the door open, pounding and slamming his large frame against it. The door was strong enough to resist him, but it wasn't going to hold for long.

"Lucretia.", the eldest of the women said in a harsh voice.

Another woman sighed and placed her hand upon the door which was suddenly enveloped in a faint shimmer. On the other side, Travis' next strike against the door was repulsed by a painful shock. Travis let out a yelp and a curse. Hearing him cry out made Rebecca angry. She pointed the wand at the oldest woman and pressed on the silver symbol.

"Lizard's tail and rabbit's crown, look out bitch you're going down.", Rebecca chanted.

A silvery glow pulsed at the end of Rebecca's wand. The old woman's eyes fluttered and one of the other witches moved to support her. The older witch struggled to stay on her feet.

"Morgana, I believe it is time for the babies to eat.", one of the other witches commanded.

The youngest and prettiest of the seven pouted. "But Annis, they look like such lovely, lovely boys.", she whined. "Surely we could dispatch the girls and play with the others?"

Finding no support from her elders, the young one continued to pout and closed her eyes. She whispered something softly. Rebecca didn't like the sound of what she heard at all. She pointed her rifle at the eldest witch, aimed, and fired.

Screams filled the room, mixing with the echo of the gun's thunder. The eldest witch fell down, a hole in her chest. The others had never seen anything like the rifle and weren't sure how to react. Only one had the presence of mind to strike back. She reached into a pouch on her hip and cast forth a handful of white powder. The dust caught Rebecca in the face, causing her to cough and choke. Her eyes watered and burned, making it difficult for her to see anything.

"Stop or I'll have to kill you all.", Rebecca coughed out, pointing her rifle around at the witches and trying to get the powder out of her eyes.


Richard ran back to the cat room doorway and slammed it shut. "Try shooting the lock!", he shouted at Travis.

Travis dropped his shield, braced his shotgun against his shoulder, and fired at the door. The blast blew out the lock but the shimmering glow remained, keeping the door shut. Richard cursed silently, then looked again at the ingredients on the shelves, wondering if he could find something that could help out. Then he heard a trio of long yowls coming from the cat's room. The sound grew and changed into something much louder and deeper, like the roars of great cats.

Richard looked up with terror in his eyes. "I think I can say 'I told you so,' now.", he said as Travis, Ismark, and Anthony turned their heads towards the cat room as well.

Anthony frantically jammed the clawed end of his hammer in between the door frame and the door but it kept bouncing away each time he tried. He muttered a few expletives and looked around at the others, hoping that one of them could come up with another idea.


Rebecca started to drop the wand to the floor, but thought better of it and instead put it down the front of her blouse. Desperately she wiped the powder from her eyes. She could hear the witches chanting in a low and stilted manner. The air seemed to grow thick and the hairs on her arms stood on end.

"This isn't good.", Ryan moaned.

Rebecca was finally able to see somewhat clearly. She looked around and saw Kevin, Ryan, and Ireena just standing there wondering what to do.

"Umm, guys, could you like do something?", Rebecca shouted. She quickly reloaded her rifle and pointed it at the witch who blinded her, or at least the one who she thought had blinded her. All the witches looked the same through her blurred vision.

Shaken by Rebecca's shout, Ireena nocked an arrow on her bow and took aim at one of the witches, hoping the threat would be enough. Ryan paged through the book, reading quickly and hoping to find something that might help out. Kevin gripped the holy relic and prayed, hoping that whoever might be listening would help them.

"Stop chanting or I'll shoot!", Rebecca screamed at the witches. She didn't want to shoot another one, but she knew that she could if she had to.


Richard could hear the door leading to the cat room shaking and rattling violently as though something large was throwing itself against it. For some reason, in all the panic, Richard realized that he wasn't sneezing. He remembered being allergic to cats. But that was before he met the gypsy woman. He pondered that for a moment until there was another crash against the feline's door. It bulged outward from the force of the blow but held.

"This may be all the pussy I ever get.", Richard joked. Then he got mad at himself. "I don't have time to think about stupid shit like that. C'mon, McGyver...think!"

Richard looked around for something to brace the door with, but the only things in the room that would move were the tables full of potions.

Anthony looked desperately around the bottles hoping to find one labeled "force-field solvent" or something obvious that he might recognize. He found one labeled "Accido Vis".

"Acid vision?", Anthony wondered. "Acid something. Well, maybe it might work."

Anthony picked up the bottle and hurled it at the door.

The glass vial shattered against the shimmering field of force blocking the doorway. The silvery fluid began to eat away at the obstruction, like a candle held beneath a sheet of paper. The field dispersed and the damaged door swung open. Anthony stared in amazement that his plan had actually worked.


The witches ignored Rebecca and continued their spell. Slowly Rebecca's legs and arms begin to tremble with fatigue like that after a hard day's work on the farm. Her vision had cleared a little more and now she was growing more desperate. Rebecca aimed at one of the witch's hearts and fired. Her shot was true and another witch was thrown to the floor. Ireena couldn't bring herself to shooting any of the witches and instead fired a warning shot which went zipping through the hair of the youngest of the witches. The arrow sailed through the now open doorway, over Anthony's shoulder, and clattered against the far stone wall.

Anthony gasped and then rushed into the room, holding his hammer like a club and ready to swing it at the nearest witch.

"Someone help me move one of these tables against the cat door!", Richard shouted, running over to the largest and heaviest table.

Travis aided him and gave the table a few firm shoves. One of the vials fell off the table and smashed on the floor, producing a dark, noxious cloud of smoke.

"Don't break anything!", Richard shouted as he stopped pushing. "We don't know what's in them, and we don't need to find something that explodes."

Travis nodded and the two quickly began clearing the table, setting the potions gently on the floor.

Rebecca fell to one knee and reloaded. "Don't make me kill you all.", she moaned weakly.

The women cast forth their hands toward Rebecca and fingers of fire snaked out from their hands. But the their attention was diverted as Ryan lifted the massive recipe book and held it over the bubbling cauldron.

"Stop! Or we'll destroy it!.", Ryan shouted.

The flames halted in midair just in front of Rebecca. Everyone in the room stopped moving except for the redhead, who slid slowly out of the path of the flames.

The door to the cat's room began to splinter and crack.

"Dammit!", Richard cursed. Then he got an idea and began shouting loud enough for everyone to hear. "Who thinks I should just trash everything on the tables?"

There was no answer. Richard shouted again. "There couldn't be ANYTHING VALUABLE in all this junky old glass and shit, COULD THERE?", he called out, hoping the witches would hear him. "Maybe something that'll kill a cat?"

The flames died as the women slowly lowered their hands. Ryan held the book over the foul boiling pot. One witch glanced back at Richard's shouting and glared at Anthony.

"Hey! I wonder what this is?", Richard called out, picking up a random jar and hurling it at the wall next to the cat door. "Wouldn't it be a shame if I killed us all, just randomly throwing things around like this?"

Once out of the way of the flames, Rebecca pointed her rifle at one of the witches. "Stop it.", she said weakly. "Stop whatever you're doing."

The witch called Lucretia muttered softly and the screeching and slamming stopped inside the cat's room. Richard paused with a vial in his hand.

"He's going to kill you all anyway.", Lucretia hissed. Then she turned towards Ireena. "Well, most of you."

"We, at least, would have done it quickly.", another witch added.

"All the bad guys say that, don't they?", Richard told Travis who couldn't bring himself to mirth in the current situation. Richard looked around and pocketed a couple of vials for later use.

Anthony turned towards Ismark. "I suppose we're going to have to take them out of commission, so they aren't at our backs.", he said, hoping that Ismark would disagree, but Ismark just nodded grimly.

Rebecca pointed her rifle at Lucretia. "Break the spell that you put on me.", she said tiredly.

Lucretia nodded and the youngest approached Rebecca. She pulled a small, withered leaf from a pouch on her hip.

"Eat this.", the young girl said.

Rebecca looked down skeptically at the little witch. Keeping her rifle pointed at Lucretia she took the withered leaf.

The young girl stepped back and said, "It will reverse the effects."

Rebecca stared back. She bit off a small part of the leaf and swallowed it, her finger on the trigger.

"You must consume the whole thing.", Lucretia said in a stern tone.

"This better work.", Rebecca mumbled. She put the leaf in her mouth, watching Lucretia's expression as she did so.

Lucretia's expression remained placid and so Rebecca swallowed. Soon she felt the fatigue and blurred vision begin to fade.

Rebecca stood back up. "Okay.", she said, feeling very relieved. "Everything's cool."

Lucretia began to negotiate. "Now, what do you want in exchange for the book?", she asked Ryan.

Rebecca looked around. "That sword thing.", she said. "That was Richard's fortune, right."

The witches looked at each other and then back at Rebecca. "Could you be more specific?", Lucretia asked. "There are many swords in this castle."

"A weapon of light, of rightful vengeance.", Anthony spoke up.

"Go to the fallen prince of old.", Richard added. "The brother of dark is light, and he rests in this place."

Lucretia closed her eyes and nodded. "Ah. Him.", she said quietly. "Seek it in the tombs far beneath the castle."

"Like, where, exactly?", Rebecca asked.

"We have not been there.", Lucretia said, looking pointedly at the body of the eldest witch. "We do not know, now."

Rebecca looked a little embarrassed. "Okay.", she said. "So Strahd's a vampire, right?"

Lucretia nodded.

"So then, where's his coffin?", Rebecca asked, again thinking that she was more clever than she really was.

"We are not here of our own choice.", Lucretia replied. "Do you truly think he would tell us that?"

"Help us kill him.", Rebecca said. "Then you'll be free."

The witches all shared another silent look before Lucretia continued. "You plainly have no idea who or what you are dealing with.", she said forcefully.

"No denying that.", Richard added.

"Well, maybe so.", Rebecca snapped back. "But at least we have the guts to do something about him."

Lucretia glared at Rebecca. "We prefer life as we have it to life as he would make it if we disobeyed.", the witch said, defending herself. "If you wish to defeat him, you cannot do so in ignorance. Learn his past and you may have a chance. A slight chance."

"Information is always useful.", Richard interjected.

Lucretia continued, "There is a study two floors down. There are many books there. Perhaps there you will find the answers you need."

"Books?", Richard said, suddenly very interested.

Rebecca finally stopped pointing her rifle at the witch. "Like, which book?", she asked, getting tired of Lucretia's evasive answers.

"The Tome of Strahd.", Lucretia sighed.

Anthony pointed at the stone slab in the floor. "Is that the way to the books?", he asked.

"That passage leads to the guest room one floor down.", Lucretia answered.

Richard noticed the barest flicker of a grin when Lucretia said the word "guest".

Richard hoisted another bottle. "What's funny about the word 'guest'?", he said, threatening to smash the vial that he held.

Lucretia narrowed her eyes. "Look around you.", she answered. "Surely you can appreciate the irony of the term in this place?"

"Of course. I like irony.", Richard replied.

Anthony shrugged and went to work prying up the slab. After a little forceful prodding the stone shifted and slid out of the way. There was a passage beneath that led downward, but it was too dark to see exactly what was below.

"If we put you in the guest quarters, can you get back out?", Anthony asked, making another threat.

"Go back to the stairway and follow it down two floors. You'll find the study there.", Lucretia answered. She was growing tired of all the questioning. "We must attend to our sisters. Please just leave us."

"Yeah, like we started this fracas.", Anthony muttered.

"It's probably like their bedroom down there.", Rebecca said to Anthony.

"That makes sense, given the path in the dust.", Anthony replied.

Richard put the bottle back down on the table, but held on to the two he'd pocketed for "insurance". He  remembered all the "cool" kids being busted for shoplifting, and wondered how "cool" he was now.

"One more thing.", Rebecca said slyly. She pointed at the kettle. "What's in the pot."

Lucretia approached Ryan and extended her hand for the book. Ryan looked at Rebecca questioningly.

"The pot?", Rebecca said, clearing her throat.

"Whatever we can scrounge.", Lucretia said in all honesty.

"We'll give you the book back, but if we see you again...", Rebecca didn't finish. The thought that she had just killed two people was starting to dawn on her and she didn't know how she felt about it.

Ryan gave the woman the book. Lucretia folded her arms across it, hugging it to her chest. She turned her back to Rebecca and watched the others tending to the fallen witches. Quietly she whispered, "Go."

The group left the witches' rooms and closed the doors behind them.