7.
The next day a strange wagon had arrived in the village, the children recognised it and gathered around. A bald man, dressed all in black had got down from the wagon and greeted the children enthusiastically.
Will and Jake had smiled as the approached the man.
"Ah the Grimmys!" he embraced each of the brothers.
"Hello Cavaldi," said Will trying to hide a grin. "How are you?"
A woman had descended from the wagon and Cavaldi grabbed he around the waist and pulled her towards him. "I 'ave nothing to complain about."
Will and Jake greeted Maria, the woman from the village who had taken Cavaldi to her heart.
"Sasha!" exclaimed Cavaldi as he picked the girl up from the crowd of children. She hugged him tightly and smiled at him. "Ow is my special girl?" After the Queen's spell had been broken she had come and found the man during the party, thanked him for trying to save her and given him a kiss on the cheek. Cavaldi had felt his heart melt and they had friends ever since.
"Sasha, let Cavaldi get settled in. You can talk all you want later." Gregor had come to join them along with Angelika and a woman that he didn't recognise. Cavaldi put Sasha down but she stayed at his side almost as if she was reluctant to go her father. Meanwhile Cavaldi was staring at Angelika.
"Bambino!?" Cavaldi dissolved into a stream of unintelligible Italian, kissed her on both cheeks, and then grabbed Jake in hug that almost lifted him off his feet. They both beamed at him in response.
"A little Grimmy! Do you intend to teach your son to fight evil magic, too?"
"My son OR daughter will be what ever they want to be," replied Angelika
"Whether they like it or not!" added Will with a grin.
"Such a pity that their uncle didn't live to see them born!" said the woman, "As my beloved is not going to introduce me, I'll do so myself. My name is Adela and I am please to finally meet you. Will and Jake had told me so much about you."
"She's the woman I love and am going to marry. What more do you need to know? Oh, by the way she doesn't own a kitten!" Will's grin was now devilish.
Cavaldi ignore Will's last remark. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Fraulein. Why are you marrying 'im?"
"Because Jake is already spoken for!"
They had then escorted Cavaldi as he led the horse and wagon to his house. Maria, who had known Angelika since she was a child, talked excitedly to her about her impending motherhood and how Jake was treating her. Her responses being that she was doing just fine, except that she was getting rather tired and found herself falling asleep at odd times, and that Jake was treating her wonderfully, but wouldn't let her do anything. She even told her about how he said good morning and good night to her.
"Don't worry about the tiredness, I've know many women, and each pregnancy is different. You've got a good one there in Jake, my dear. Your mother would have approved."
"I know." Angelika looked back at Jake who was talking to Cavaldi.
The house, which had been shut up since they had gone to Italy to see where Cavaldi came from, was in need of a good airing. So they were invited to dinner at Will and Adela's where they learnt how Will and Adela had met and what had been happening in Marbarden whilst they had been gone. Cavaldi was very concern that Jake and Angelika had been ill and, despite Jake's assurances that they were both well again, he made his mind up to keep an eye on his friends. He could see that Will and Adela were very much in love; he never seemed to leave her side.
"I suspect that there will soon be another little Grimmy," he had confided to Maria later that night, but he discovered that she had already fallen asleep, so he gave her a kiss, turned over and went to sleep.
Cavaldi hadn't sleep well. He had woken in the night and vomited, and in the morning nothing seemed to agree with him, even the water didn't taste right! He put it down to change in food from his homeland to Germany, he just had to get used the foreign food again. Maybe he should find a pig for Maria. He spied Sasha sitting by the well and went to join her.
"'Ow is my special girl?"
"Better for having you here," and she reached out and hugged him.
"What has 'appened?"
"It's Adela, since she arrived things have changed."
"Ah!" Cavaldi smiled at the girl. After Will had saved her in the forest she had fallen in love with him. Will had let her down as gently as he could, but Cavaldi suspected that she still had a bit of crush on the older Grimm brother. So it was natural that she should be a bit jealous of the woman who had won his heart.
"Sasha…even though Will loves Adela and they are going to be married, he still likes you and will always be your friend. You have no need to worry about that."
Sasha stared at the man. He thought she was jealous of Adela! After all that had happened in Marbarden since she arrived! She was scared of Adela, scared of what she had done to Will and to everyone else in the village, but she wasn't jealous of her.
"She doesn't love him…she's hurt him! …and… my father!" the girl crumpled into tears in Cavaldi's arms.
"Please…please, do not cry! Come, Maria can make you a drink. I am sure we can work this out."
He led the still crying girl towards his house. When they got there Maria wasn't in the kitchen, so Cavaldi sat Sasha in a chair and went in search of her. He found her asleep on the bed, but she was laid very strangely, almost as though she had fallen back onto the bed and been instantly asleep. He tried to wake her, but she remained unmoving. Suddenly he became aware of someone behind him and turned.
---
Adela had been fascinated by Maria she had never met anyone that the drug had worked so quickly on. They had only been half way through the meal when she saw the first signs of the drug in her eyes. She had seen Cavaldi leave and decided to pay her a visit. Maria hadn't even seemed surprised to see her when she opened the door. She had simply returned Adela's smile, taken her outstretched hand and allowed herself to be led to the bedroom. She had so much of the drug in her eyes that Adela was surprised she could stand. There had been no resistance to the feeding and Adela had instructed her to add the drug, which she had left her in the kitchen, to Cavaldi's food and that she would return that evening. She knew all about Cavaldi from Will and she thought it better to make his acquaintance as soon as possible. Then she had simply let her fall on to the bed and left.
Cavaldi turned to find Sasha stood at the door. She gave a gasp and ran to Maria's side.
"No…not you as well," she turned to Cavaldi, "you must get away from here, its not safe!"
"What is 'appening?" he asked the girl in confusion.
Sasha explained that Maria would not wake for several hours and when she did she would remember nothing. Cavaldi made her as comfortable as possible, and with one final, worried glance, he followed Sasha into the kitchen.
Here, through a stream of tears, she described waking up a few weeks after Adela had arrived in Marbarden, convinced that there was someone in the house. She had gone to investigate and saw her father in the arms of Adela. As she watched Adela had kissed her father, at first he had tried to stop her but without warning his arms had simply fallen to his side. Adela had continued the kiss for a long time and then she had picked up her father and carried him to his bed. Sasha had followed and, hidden by the door, had watched as Adela again kissed her father, this kiss lasted even longer, and at the end Adela had briefly touched her lips to her father's and talked to him. Sasha had run back to her room and hidden under the covers, when she eventually came out and went to her father she discovered that Adela had placed his head on a pillow and the covers over him, he appeared to be sleeping. Sasha had tried to wake him, but she couldn't and in the end she had fallen asleep beside him. When he had woken in the morning and she told him what had happened, he had taken her in his arms and told her it must have been a nightmare. She had almost believed him, but then Adela had returned. Cavaldi took the girl in his arms until her tears ceased.
"We must go and see Will, he will know what to do."
"Adela came here with Will! She must have hurt him before!"
Cavaldi thought for a moment, "Ah! Then we will go and see Jake!"
---
"Good morning!" Jake greeted them as he opened the door, "I'm afraid we weren't up very early this morning. Come in, we're having breakfast if you'd like to join us?" They followed him into the kitchen to find Adela serving breakfast to Lily and Rose.
"Angelika is not feeling too good this morning, so I'm letting her sleep in. Adela offered to help me get breakfast for these two," explained Jake. Lily and Rose giggled.
"Sasha! It's good to see you. It seems like a long time since we were together and we have so much to tell you. Come and have some breakfast," Rose indicated the chair next to her and with a quick glance at Cavaldi she sat down.
"Jake, I would like to speak to you in private."
"Of course," and they went outside.
"Jake, what do you know about Adela, I mean before she met Will."
Jake told him all that he knew about Adela.
"So, Will met Adela and then became ill?"
"Yes, I think we were lucky she was there! I dread to think what might have happened if she hadn't. Will's letters had stopped and I had no idea where he was!"
As Jake talked he removed his glasses and Cavaldi got a look at his eyes. There was a very strange look to them, almost a slight glaze.
"But since she got her," Jake continued "she has been a wonder to the village, the children are now regularly in school, they all love her and Will finally seems ready to settle down, which I was beginning to think he never would! But she's not the only new resident to the village…" Jake greeted a man who was walking towards them, "…Cavaldi, I'd like you to meet Dr Franz Lieberman."
Jake went on to explain how Franz had come to his and Angelika's rescue and how he was caring for her during her pregnancy.
"So, it is thanks to Adela that you came to our aid?"
"Yes," replied Franz and he shook hands to the Italian, "without her I would never have come here." Cavaldi looked and he too had that same strange look in his eyes. He felt a fear begin to grow inside him.
"I…I must get Sasha back to her father. I promised we wouldn't be long," he returned to the house with Jake and Franz, and collected Sasha. Just as he was leaving Franz entered the bedroom and he could see Angelika lying in the bed. Franz lifted her head and helped her drink something.
"This will make you feel better," he said.
Another pang of fear shot through Cavaldi when he thought of Angelika, that wonderfully independent women who had stood up to him when he first arrived, coming to harm. Bambino! His thoughts turned to full horror when he realised that what affected Angelika also affected her unborn child.
He returned Sasha to her home. Gregor had the same look his eyes. He told her to gather some things together and to meet him at the edge of the forest, beyond the gate to the village. She wanted him to come with her now, but he had some things he must do before he joined her and, to be honest, he thought she had a much better change of getting their without him. So, with promises to see each other soon, they had parted.
Cavaldi now headed back to own home. He knew what he would find, but he had to make sure. Maria was in the kitchen. He took her in his arms and looked at her smiling face, she had that same glazed look to her eyes. He kissed her and held her. "I love you," he whispered to her with tears in his eyes, "and I will find a way to save you." Some evil had again come to Marbarden and he had to find a way to stop it, and it would seem that he had to do it without the help of the Grimmys.
He had come up with a plan. He would first go and try to get help from Will, Adela was with Jake and maybe it he would be able to get through to Will on his own. If that failed then he would get books from Jake's study and he and Sasha would hopefully find something in them that would help. He found Will sprawled on the bed sleeping. He shook him gently but he didn't stir.
"Grimmy, wake up!" he shook him again. He still did not stir.
"Grimmy, Jake needs your 'elp. 'e is 'urt," Will moved slightly. Cavaldi, encouraged, continued. "Yes, Jake is 'urt. 'e may die! You 'ave to 'elp him!"
"Jake…" murmured Will. It was working!
"Grimmy, It is I, Cavaldi. You must wake up! Marbarden is in danger! We 'ave to stop Adela!"
"Cavaldi?…Adela?…Marbarden?…where…" As Cavaldi watched Will's eyes open and looked at him.
"It's all right Will. It's just a dream," Adela sat on the bed and gently stoked Will's face as his eyes closed and he settled again. She and Cavaldi regarded each other.
"I will find a way to stop, by the dark 'eart of my ancestors, I swear it!"
"Oh I doubt that! Mercurio, would you give me a moment?" She left the room and returned leading Maria by the hand. She smiled at Cavaldi and then looked at Adela. "Maria would you be so good as to slit your throat," she handed Maria a knife and she started to raise it.
"NO!" screamed Cavaldi, he darted towards her
Adela smiled. "Stop!" Maria's hand and the knife returned to her side. Adela led her the bed and sat her down. She then approached Cavaldi.
"All you have to do to ensure her safety is to let me kiss you, now that is not such a dreadful thing is it?"
Cavaldi looked at Maria sat on the edge of the bed, the knife still in her hand, and then his gaze travelled to still form of Will on the other side of the bed. He felt torn; he desperately wanted to help Will, Jake and the others in the village, but to help them he must loose the woman that he loved. But in the end the decision was made for him. Adela used his moment of indecision to step up to him and place her lips against his. He fought back strongly, but Adela knew he could not break her embrace, he went limp and she fed. She decided that she liked foreign food and would try it again very soon. She glanced up at Maria, who had sat quietly on the bed through all of this, the smile still on her face and an adoring look in her eyes. It was so unfair not to reward her, so she fed on her as well, the knife slipping from her fingers as she went limp. Afterwards she looked for Will, only to find him gone from the bed.
