Chapter 25
JACOB
HONAU
After leaving Ella, I try to sleep, but all I can think about is how she’s living in danger. When dawn crests the horizon, I’m perched on the windowsill, coffee cupped between my palms, a plan brewing in my head.
“Did you sleep at all last night?” Wilhelm asks as he clambers into the main room.
“No.” I set my coffee down and strap on my sword and knife. “Rumpelstiltskin! Come down here.”
“Where are you going?” Wilhelm asks. “It’s too early to be prowling outside. You’ll look suspicious.”
“I’m heading to Dr. Wissen’s house.” I toss my cloak over my shoulders.
“You’re not going to the doctor’s house alone. I’m coming with you. No name has appeared on the hourglass yet, so there isn’t an excuse to leave me behind.”
“Rumpelstiltskin!” I yell louder this time. “I need you down here.”
“You’re going to wake the neighbors,” Wilhelm warns.
“It’s too early to be shouting like a flock of chickens,” Rumpelstiltskin grumbles as he shuffles down the stairs. A single hair sticks up on top of his head.
“I need you to go to the Magistrate’s office,” I tell the trickster. “There’s a contract that must be approved between Ella von Maier and Dr. Wissen. Destroy it immediately.”
“So demanding.”
“And make sure no one sees you while you’re at it.”
“What do you take me for?” he scoffs. “A petty criminal?”
Outside, frost hugs the eaves of the houses and spiders across paned windows. To a passerby, this Bavarian town nestled in the mountains appears quiet and unaffected by evil creatures.
“Remind me again why we’re visiting this doctor,” Wilhelm says.
“Ella’s stepmother is planning on marrying her off to this man. She asked me to help stop the marriage. I promised I would.”
“I’m sure you did. You’re becoming far too invested in Ella. What will happen when our work is done and it’s time to leave? How will you feel about that?”
“Let’s just deal with one problem at a time.”
We finally reach the house settled on the outskirts of the village, hugging the foothills of the Swabian Alps.
It’s an old manor with worn stone walls and a brick-colored slanted roof pocked with windows that leer down on us.
A balcony juts from the tallest point of the home like a watchdog.
No flower boxes welcome visitors. Only dead vines clamber across the house, even over the windows, reminding me of spider webs ready to trap those who dare enter its lair.
Steps crawl up to the massive wooden doors where a giant stone-carved wolf clings over the archway. The eyes look so real, they send a chill down my spine.
“Is it just me, or is the statue staring at us?” I whisper to Wilhelm.
“The manor is clearly cursed. Why do you always pick the worst places to visit before we’ve even eaten breakfast?”
“Would you prefer to come here at night then?”
Wilhelm glowers. “Let’s get this evil task finished so I can enjoy my warm bowl of porridge and return to my books.”
“I’m with you on that, brother.”
We march up the stairs, and that itchy sensation of being watched heightens.
Two bulging eyes and a toothed mouth serve as the knocker’s handle.
The scent of decaying animals hits my senses.
I let the knocker boom against the wooden door, and we wait.
Slowly, the door creaks open to reveal a large man with an untamed beard, trailing to his belly.
He’s wearing a tunic and breeches smeared with blackened streaks, along with boots coated in sawdust. He smells of sweat and rotting meat.
Lovely.
“Good day to you,” the man says, sounding more like he’s bidding us a curse than a good morning. “What's your business?”
“We’re here to speak to the esteemed Doctor Wissen,” I say. “Our business is for him and him only.”
“Harrumph,” the man grumbles, but opens the door wider.
“I’ll take that as an invitation to enter,” I say, and we step inside.
“Wait here,” the man growls and strides off, footsteps booming and creaking along the wood flooring.
“Well, isn’t this homey?” Wilhelm says sarcastically, looking around.
Dark oak paneling lines the entry’s walls all the way to the top third of the wall.
That’s when the images take over, circling the room.
Warriors in battle, maidens sacrificed on altars, and villagers’ heads chopped off.
The ribbed wooden ceiling is free of chandeliers, keeping the room dark and dank, other than light filtering from the two adjoining rooms. The hallway to the back of the house remains shrouded in darkness.
“I’m quite partial to the beheadings,” I joke morbidly. “But I’m not sure if the villagers would appreciate a painting like that in the bookshop.”
I decide to do a little snooping while we wait, so I step into the room on our right. A giant fireplace fills one wall, the sides arched into what appears like demons with sharp teeth cutting out from snarled lips and eyes curling upward. The blackened logs remain cold and still.
“There’s something dark about this place,” I mutter and yank at my collar.
“You think?” Wilhelm asks, trailing after me. “This was your idea. If anything goes wrong, I’m blaming you.”
“I deserve that.”
There’s not much light in this room thanks to the heavy maroon drapes. An ornately carved wooden bench sits against one wall with portraits of young women, none whom could be older than twenty above it.
“That’s an odd collection of portraits, don’t you think?” Wilhelm muses. “They all look different. They can’t be family members.”
“Greetings,” a man says, entering the room.
I turn to find Dr. Wissen, handsome even with the three long scars that run down the side of his face. His presence fills the room, and his blue eyes twinkle as if amused to be seeing us here.
“I’m Dr. Wissen. What do I owe the pleasure of the great and renowned Brothers Grimm?”
“Great and renowned hardly meet our humble description,” I object. “We are merely two booksellers helping the king out as he sees fit.”
“From what I’m told, you are much more than just booksellers. You also hunt and write. An odd combination.”
A servant rushes in and sets a tray of bread, cheese, and meat on the coffee table.
“If you’re ever in need of a good book,” Wilhelm says, trying to veer us into safer waters, “come stop by our shop.”
“I see your land borders the wilds.” I get right to the point. “The king commissioned us to rid the forest of the wolves. Have you had any trouble with these creatures?”
“Troubles indeed, but my men work tirelessly to rid our village and the surrounding forests of them. What I want to know is how you two went from prestigious law students to working as hunters.”
“And booksellers. You must not forget that.” I cross my arms, surprised he knew so much. It’s also a bit alarming.
Dr. Wissen picks up a chunk of meat and begins gnawing on it. “Our village is rather unimpressed with the king sending mere amateurs to save us. It’s as if he doesn’t take our problems seriously.”
“You can rest assured we’re taking this very seriously,” I say.
“Perhaps a better question would be why you? The two of you should be studying and writing books. Yet here you are. Highly unusual.”
He suspects us. Not good.
“Some of us are not as fortunate as you.” I narrow my eyes. “I heard you were once the town carpenter. What I find highly unusual is for a man of a carpenter status to rise to such a station of a manor like this one and a title of a doctor.”
“I’ve worked hard for my success. You know the old saying, the Devil’s favorite piece of furniture is a long bench.” Dr. Wissen waves to the tray of food. “How rude of me! Do eat and relax. I can’t have you come all this way and not feed you.”
“We just ate breakfast, but thank you,” I say, ignoring my growling stomach. “How do you feel about us riding around your land to check for tracks? I’d hate for you and your household to be attacked by these wolves.”
“You’re far too generous.” Dr. Wissen smiles thinly. “But my men are well armed. I have a crew of men who are always cutting down new trees in the forest for my carpentry work. You see, even though I’ve taken up the office of councilman and doctor, I’ve not given up my love for carpentry.”
He moves to the large cabinet and pats it lovingly, explaining each detail and carving. I don’t hear a word he says because the flame from the candle flickers across his neck. A white saw like those used to cut wood appears. I stiffen. Ella had been right to suspect him. He’s a Forbidden.
“Your carpentry is truly magnificent,” I say. “But what intrigues me is this wall packed with portraits of beautiful young ladies. Sisters, perhaps?”
“I’m afraid not.” The doctor sniffs and clears his throat, touching the corner of his eye as if to wipe away a tear. “Those are my lovely wives. They have entered the realm of death, but they live on in my memories.”
“All of them? Dead?” Wilhelm studies the portraits closer. “That would be six wives.”
“Indeed.” Dr. Wissen nods sagely, clasping his hands together. “Some from childbirth, others from disease, one from a drowning. Wretched luck I have.”
There’s no luck involved here. This is madness. Ella’s bridegroom-to-be is a murderer.