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56
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Mort and the girl made their way up a long, straight, graveled driveway. The bright lights of the chateau could be seen ahead.
Hearing the sound of a car behind them, they turned to see its headlights swing in through the gates. They quickly took cover in the trees and watched the car glide past their path. After its passing, they emerged from the trees and continued on their way.
Mort and the girl observed the chateau from the edge of the trees. Then they continued their way around to the side of the chateau. One of the lighted windows gave them a view of the upper floors of the chateau's hall. For a better look at the luxurious setting, they climbed on a stone bench.
Inside, some guests were conversing in groups. Men and women alike attired in long black robes with silver pentacles suspended from their necks on chains.
Mort scowled upon not seeing Amy in the crowd.
"See them anywhere?" The girl asked, making Mort even more annoyed with the situation.
"No," He replied, hastily. He gave her a look and then they proceeded to make their way, cautiously, around the side of the house, searching for a way in.
Peering through a semi-basement window, they viewed two chefs chopping vegetables at a big kitchen table. They paused, at a loss, and looked up at the house. Several of the second-floor windows were illuminated. The girl suddenly strayed away. Mort turned, wondering what she was doing and saw that she was climbing up the side of the house. He frowned, then started after her.
With Mort close behind, they reached the top of the wall. The girl then clambered over onto the balcony and walked over to the windows to survey.
Mort, not built for climbing, struggled onto the balcony with difficulty. While struggling, he bumped his head making his glasses go flying off his face and somewhere onto the dark balcony. He groaned and got down on all fours, running his hand along the floor to find his precious glasses.
The girl turned away from the windows and looked down at Mort who was still searching for his glasses like a dog. "I think you'll want to see this," She said and then turned back to the windows.
Mort skimmed his hand over the floor once more and felt something that he only assumed could be his glasses. He picked them up, placed them back on, raised off of the floor and approached the windows, standing next to the girl. Together, they peered through the windows.
The room was a female's bedroom. All of a sudden Amy appeared. She walked across the room, past the windows, stripping off her clothing and making her way over to the wardrobe at the opposite end of the room. She took out one of the famous black robes and silver pentacle and placed them on. Then she walked over to a mirror and became preoccupied with studying her reflection.
Mort regarded in awe. He hadn't seen Amy like that in so long.
"This is not..my beautiful house... This is not.. my beautiful wife... Anymore," Mort said softly, his voice filled with sadness. He began to stroke his face.
He breathed in and out deeply, trying to return his calm and decided he would take advantage of her preoccupation with her reflection by trying to push open the windows. But they wouldn't budge. An idea suddenly came to him. He took his trusty book bag and placed it over an area of one of the windows. Then he punched over the spot, breaking the glass.
Amy spun around with a terrified cry and stood in horror while she watched as Mort reached his arm through the hole he had made, pulled on the window latch and pulled the window wide open. He and the girl stepped into the room.
"Sorry to intrude on you like this," Mort said.
"What are you doing here?" Amy shouted.
"What am I doing here? What are you doing here? I just dropped by to pick up the book you stole from my room." Mort explained, walking over to the bed and emptying a suitcase that was there.
"That book is mine!" Amy shouted.
"Correction: That book is your husband Ted's," He said angrily and shuffled through the belongings, recognizing most of them.
"Don't" Amy shouted.
He spotted 'The Nine Gates', grabbed it and held the book up to Amy proudly. She instinctively lunged for it, but the girl blocked her.
"Careful, she bites!" Mort told the girl. All of a sudden, the door of the room opened and a man, clad in the same uniform as the others, stood in the doorway. Mort quickly turned to the doorway, book in hand and regarded the man. He did not recognize him. All he knew was that it wasn't Ted Milner. "Hi," Mort said casually.
While Mort was busy with the man, Amy made a dive for the bedside table and produced a gun from the drawer. She aimed it at the girl and pushed the safety. "Don't move, either one of you," Amy ordered Mort and the girl. She turned to the man. "Get the book."
Mort nervously took a step backwards as the man approached him with his hand extended. Mort reluctantly surrendered the book.
The man took the book from Mort and nodded to him. Then he rewarded him for his co-operation with a vicious slam to the jaw. Mort went down, losing his glasses yet again. Groggily, he crawled around in search of them.
The man, keeping away from the girl, walked past the crawling Mort and handed Amy 'The Nine Gates' and she carefully transferred the gun from her hand to his. "Don't kill them up here, you'll make a mess. Take them downstairs," Amy ordered.
Mort, who scrambled to his feet, understood. The man placed the end of the gun at the nape of his neck and Mort swallowed hard.
"You. Go first. Then you," The man told the girl. The girl walked through the doorway and began down the hall. The man prodded Mort with the gun into motion.
Amy stared after Mort for a moment, clasping 'The Nine Gates' tightly to her chest.