Q is for Quilts, specifically the quilt scene from NIGHT CHILDREN: DARK BIRTH. To set the scene, vampire boy Roland was captured along with his human friend Henry. The terrible tracker-vampire Fenroth had them inside his converted wagon. They, along with Fenroth's vampire assistants, were safe from the sun's rays inside the coach.
Thomas, Annabelle and Roland's other human friend, thought the best way to rescue them was by day. To protect her from the sun's lethal rays, Annabelle had a heavy quilt draped over her. Thomas guided her to the wagon...
NIGHT CHILDREN: DARK BIRTH
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Dangerous Gambit
Annabelle
slowly walked under the quilt, clutching her long stake while Tom led her
toward Fenroth’s wagon. This must be
what a blind person felt like. Engulfed
in total blackness, she took each step cautiously and relied completely on Thomas
to help her. The sweltering heat was
stifling. Annabelle wanted to throw off
the heavy quilt but she knew the disaster that would result if she did.
“How
are you?” He draped his left arm over
her as he guided her safely. Despite the
danger, she felt safe with him watching.
“I’m
all right. I wish I could throw off this
hot thing and look at the beautiful sun.
It’s been too long since I’ve seen it.”
“But Annabelle--”
“I
know, I know. Don’t worry. I’m not suicidal. How much further?”
“Just
ahead. That’s got to be it. On the left side of the wagon there’s some pull-down
stairs that lead to a door. I wish there
was more than one way in or out.”
A
spike of fright made her wonder if they could be fast enough to avoid getting
trapped. His plan suddenly seemed
foolish. So many things could go wrong.
Tom
continued to describe Fenroth’s carriage, “The whole thing looks like some kind
of big wooden box. There’s a bench in
front so he can control the horses, and its wheels look like ours, but the wood
makes it look so strange.”
“I
really don’t think Fenroth cares how it looks.”
Thomas
stopped moving. “Annabelle, I’ll need a
free arm to open the door so I’ll switch this cross to my left. You’ll have to pull off the quilt when I give
word. Are you sure you want to go
through with this? Once we’re inside
that wagon, the sunlight will be blocked out.
Fenroth will know when we enter.
We could wind up captured or worse.”
Annabelle
knew when he said “worse”; he meant he could be killed. She hated putting him in that situation, but
there was no other way. She responded
with the only thing she could. “He’s my
brother, Thomas. I have to try.”
“I
feel the same way.”
Wasting
no more time, Thomas gently moved Annabelle to the side of Fenroth’s converted
wagon. She pushed the front of the quilt
to the wagon wall, feeling her way through it to the steps that led to the
door. Annabelle could hardly
breathe. Blind and extremely vulnerable,
she felt like the frightened child instead of an angry vampire.
Thomas
helped her up the steps until she reached the top one beside the front
door. Her acute hearing picked up the
sound of snoring inside. She felt the
press of the cross against her back and knew Tom was ready to push her inside.
Thomas
opened the door and gently shoved Annabelle in.
She yanked off the quilt, at the same time he shut the door behind
them.
The
small room erupted in noise as two large wolves barked and growled from their
cages. Those sounds were lost among the
crazed snarls of a strange wild vampire crouched on the floor to the back
right. It could only be Wildes
Blut-Tier. An Indian girl woke up and
hissed from the back left.
---------------
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