Given the Slip
They deplaned at a small airport outside Athens. Three men stood waiting to greet them.
"These are my European contacts, part of the global anti-vampire network," Sideshow Bob said introducing them, "This is Jack Krauser, a vampire hunter from Germany. Joshua Wallach, a martial artist and Australian citizen who was in London when I called him, and I believe that most of you are already familiar with Lugash Petrovich Nyladina and Akira Satomura of the Happy Sumo."
"Robert, we have some unfortunate news," Akira said in his wispy voice, "Burns' plane did'not l-rand here in Athens."
"What?"
"What'd say? I wasn't listening?" Bart asked.
"He gave us the slip and landed in Krone," Krauser said briskly.
"He is about two days ahead of us. Luck-uri, he and his men are on horseback,
travel-ring the back country roads with a band of gypsies."
The party was anxious and disheartened. Bob frowned, and took off his dark glasses.
"We must hurry then."
"Our bus is out front. We'll catch up with them quickly if we take the main highways, but we'll have to go after them on horses ourselves eventually. Castle Dracula is far from any major civilization, and roads are virtually nonexistent."
"We'll get out stuff then," Bart said. "C'mon Jess!"
"Ooh, Bart. I just hate this!"
Their four greeters led them to a battered double-decker bus in front of the airport. Krauser started up the engine, and the group began to board.
"Haw! Haw! Hoho!"
Brian spun on his heel. An enormous black raven was pearched on a nearby statue of Pallas Athena. He stared at it, and the croaking bird stared back, tilting its head and looking at him with its black eye. Lisa noticed Brian's strange behaviour.
"Brian? Brian, what is it?"
He made no answer, but kept staring. Lisa followed the line of his gaze until she saw it. Without moving her head she looked at Brian. His hand was already heading for his pistol. The bird cawed once more and took off. Brian fired from the hip, and miraculously hit his target. The bird squawked and tipped head down in the air. Fell to the pavement, and burst into brilliant blue flame. When the flames died, the crow's white skeleton lie on the ground, the black ashes from its body in the shape of a crow with its wings widespread beneath it.