The Crooked Cross Collection - Book II

 “Follow me” she said in an eerie, monotone voice.  “I will take you to Casper and you will see that he is as I was, Baron”.  Frederick, not being a Baron but a Lord, through his terror decided to inform her about it.  
      Helena laughed.  “It’s not my concern, ‘Baron’ or ‘Lord’ she whispered.  “It only concerns me that you save your friends, the Lindorfs”.  She then floated with ease down the stairs, Frederick still standing rooted to the spot in fear for his life.
      This is madness, he thought.  I cannot possibly follow her.  It may be a trap Frederick wondered.  I could be lead to my death.  He knew Helena’s past and felt that she and Casper may be in this together.  He thought of poor Amos and didn’t want to be victim number two, but at the same time he couldn’t stand back and let Josef become the next target.  Casper, in his current state, wouldn’t know his own father from anyone else.  
      Frederick, closely watched by Helena, hesitated as she pointed towards the woods in the direction that Josef had taken.  Frederick was alarmed about the whole situation.  Josef wouldn’t go into the woods, he thought, as he was debating in his mind what to do.  Helena, ever present, smiling that strange smile she always had when she was alive and terrorising everyone in the area.  Frederick felt that she was goading him into walking straight into danger.  
      Suddenly hearing a growling sound, Frederick’s attention was drawn away from Helena.  He turned his head to look at the large cluster of oak trees to his right.  A horrible sound rang out.  ‘Uuuggg…aahh’.  It was someone being attacked.  Frederick didn’t move, Helena standing by his side.
      “It’s Casper” she said.  “He’s found his father”.  Frederick heard another terrible scream and a howling that was unlike anything he had heard in his life.  He knew that if it was Josef who had been attacked, then he was certainly dead.  Helena glided forward to the spot where it had happened.  
      She called to Frederick.  “Come and see, my Lord”.  She was pointing down at a bundle lying at the base of the trees.  Frederick couldn’t bear to go over and look but knew that he had to find out if it was Josef.  He wondered how he was going to explain it to Anna.  Moving forwards, his mind on where Casper had disappeared to, Frederick not getting too close to the twisted body, stood on tiptoe and stretched his neck.  The body was face-down but Frederick recognised Josef’s tweed jacket and cap lying by the side of his body.  A trail of blood streamed in all directions and he noticed lying not far away, an arm that had been torn off.  Frederick felt very ill.  He ran back towards Oxton Hall.
      “Help me.  Someone please help me” he screamed, exasperated.  On the grounds of the Hall the local people from nearby villages had gathered with torches made up of wooden sticks with old rags wrapped around the top and doused in paraffin.  They were all armed with staves, knives and swords.  Frederick ran right into them.