Chapter 37

Kol reluctantly moved aside and Elijah took his place, bending over because the hole they were using for the tube was only three feet above the ground. He saw the woman move the tube slightly so that it was aimed right at him.

"Henry! There you are!" Sarah said. The pleasure could be heard in her voice. "Your eyes are as dark as Cole's. And I see a family resemblance."

"So people say," Elijah admitted. He had no idea where the dark brown eyes came from since both his parents had blue or green eyes and both Mikael and Esther had blond hair. Freya and Rebekah certainly took after the parents. Elijah recalled that the youngest brother Henrik had had brown eyes and light brown hair.

Sarah was privately thrilled to view "Henry." He didn't look as she imagined, but in a way he did, with calm eyes, a hint of a smile and a handsome face. Although she didn't look closely at his clothing, she knew he was neatly dressed. Unlike "Cole," his hair combed. She and John had long since become used to hearing what she thought of as their foreign speech.

"It's time to see the ladies," John said. He was more interested in looking at them than at the brothers. Sarah backed away, but held onto the tube, lest it fall again.

It was Rebekah who moved close and bent over. When John was looking through the tube, she said, "Elizabeth here."

"Yes, ma'am. It's good to see you. It amazes me that we all didn't think of doing this months ago."

"Well, you wouldn't want to do it when other people are around. You haven't told anyone besides Sarah, have you?"

"No, ma'am. Cross my heart." He used a hand to make an X in front of his coat. He and Rebekah exchanged a few more words before Freya spoke up, saying it was her turn.

"Wait!" Sarah said. "I want to see Elizabeth before she moves."

So the one sister stayed in place for a half-minute and then the other sister took her place.

"Mary, good to see you too," Sarah said, grinning. "You and Elizabeth bear some resemblance also."

"To some degree," Freya agreed. "I am the older sister."

The siblings outside already knew that the two sets of siblings inside were not doing any "courting." At least that was what they had been told. John and Sarah each wondered why that was so. A person would think there would be something "going on" under the circumstances.

In no time, John insisted it was his turn to view Mary and speak with her. While they were doing this, darkness was gathering around them and the air was getting colder.

"We'd best be getting back to town," Sarah said to her brother as she hugged her coat around her more tightly. John agreed and in a minute they were on their horses. They called good night to those inside the barrier and rode off.

"Damn! I wish they could get in here," Kol muttered. "I could practically taste their blood when they were looking through the tube."

"Is that all you can think about?" Rebekah scolded.

"No. I can think of something else I'd like to do with Miss Sarah."

"You are incorrigible!" Freya declared, scowling at him as they walked to the porch.

"And you girls have no thoughts about John? He's not bad looking."

"Alright, Kol," Rebekah said. "I'll admit to that. And some of his blood would taste marvelous, I'm sure."

Elijah said nothing. He understood how they felt and did not think badly of them. When it came to consuming blood, that of the horse and the cow would continue to be their only source.

The family had their evening meal and they played cards. Eventually, Freya said she was weary and she made her way up the stairs. She carried a candle and lit the one beside the stairs when she came to it. The latter would not burn all night and she knew it was a waste of a good candle. Sometimes she wished she had the enhanced senses that her vampire siblings had. On the other hand, they could not create magic like she could.

Kol had found a small tinder box and he gave it to Freya. With a flint and steel she could make a spark to light the tiny amount of tinder and use that flame to light the candle in her room. In a way, it was unfortunate that her bedroom was on the north side of the house. She could get moonlight in her room only while the moon was somewhere to the east, so that it could shine in her eastern window. Rebekah, whose room was on the northwest corner, got the moonlight when the moon had moved to the west. But Rebekah had the vampire's night vision.

When Kol finally went up to his room he instantly smelled the scent of urine. Muttering to himself, he wondered if Rebekah had urinated in his bed. Surely she would not do that! In the moonlight that illuminated his room, he spotted the dress she had been wearing as it now lay on his pillow and part of the bed. Swearing, he grabbed it and flung it across the room.

He was certainly reminded of the fact that as a child he had wet the bed. There had been times when the children had had to share beds and as often as not it had been Niklaus who had teased him and complained about a wet bed. He had outgrown that embarrassing situation, but then he had had to share a bed with younger Henrik, who also was a bed wetter. Little Rebekah had usually shared a bed with her parents and she never soaked their bed, as far as he knew.

Thinking these thoughts, he turned the pillow over and decided to sleep on top of the quilt. He had discovered that the bookcase in the corner of his room hid a fireplace. It shared the chimney of the big hearth down below in the kitchen. Still, he did not light a fire to warm his room. The mild chilliness really didn't bother him. He kicked off his shoes, but kept his clothes on just so the night air didn't steal what little vampire body heat he had.

In her room, Rebekah smiled as she heard her brother swearing. Payback!

Perhaps two hours later, when the four siblings had gone to sleep, someone else was in the area of the farm. Two riders dismounted and left their horse back some distance from the barrier. They trod through the snow to a place down near the creek, a place that could not be seen from the house because of the location of the barn and the buggy shed. They carried two cloth sacks containing items they needed. There was light from a half moon and it lit the snowy area well.

"Stop," Mikael ordered in a hushed voice. He laid a hand on the arm of the woman who had been following in his footprints, but had moved up beside him. "The force field is just a few feet ahead of us."

"It is? I don't see anything." She looked around and saw only an expanse of snow. Although it was a reflection of the snow behind them, it was not really a mirror and it did not show the couple themselves.

"It's here. See how the snow is melted in a straight line right there?"

She bent down and looked carefully. Removing her gloves for a better feel, she reached forward and began to feel the vibration of something invisible and there was heat.

"Don't touch it, Megan! It's a little like electricity. You know, like strong static electricity that can zap you on a cold, dry day. Like tonight."

Megan picked up some snow and made a snowball. She tossed it forward. It hit something, sizzled and became steam and water. For a second she could make out the barrier.

"That is powerful magic, Mikael! Someone is a powerful witch."

"Yes. One of the two women inside there is one, I'm sure," Mikael muttered, thinking the barrier was being generated from within. At this point in time, he had no idea that the woman was his long-lost daughter.

"I don't think I have the power to get through this wall."

"I think you can. I insist you try."

"Alright." She opened the bag she had carried, laying it on the snow. She then opened the one Mikael carried. He was paying her a good deal of money for her to travel to this remote place and to cast a spell to open a hole in this powerful wall. She had brought candles and other things that she hoped would allow her to cast a strong spell.

"You're sure no one in the house can see us?"

"If we can't see the house, they can't see us."

"But once we light the candles, there will be a glow."

"They won't see it. They're probably asleep anyway." He had not told Megan that two vampires were inside, although she had sensed what he was. She was moderately afraid of him. When she had everything arranged, she began her chant, intoning the words she thought would open a hole in the force field. She feared that the power of the wall might reach out to her in a sort of back-flash, but she continued.

Mikael watched her and a smile came to his face. Any minute now he would have access to the place that was sheltering two of his offspring. He was looking forward to seeing the looks on their faces. They thought they were perfectly safe from him.

A/N Will he get inside? If he does, what would he do? We shall see. Thanks for reading!