LITMIR.BIZ

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Although Mercutio was quite intelligent, he was known for getting involved with women who were pretty yet dim-witted—perhaps she had forgotten all about them. Romeo felt his hands beginning to shake. He had to distract himself.

      “Did I tell either of you about the dream I had last night?” he asked in a soft voice.

      Mercutio scratched at his neck with the handle of his parrying knife. “No, you did not.”

      “If it is about Rosaline and her half-breed bosoms, we are not interested,” Benvolio said as he canvassed the area with a studious gaze.

      “Speak for yourself.” Mercutio nudged Benvolio.

      Benvolio rolled his eyes and shoved Mercutio back with his elbow so hard that Mercutio fell into a pile of sticky moss.

      “Take cover, Romeo. I’m about to punch Benvolio’s lights out,” Mercutio growled.

      “Will you be quiet?” Romeo whispered. “You know how sensitive the vampires’ hearing is.”

      Benvolio took a dagger that was hidden beneath hissleeve and stabbed the ground near Romeo’s feet, turning and twisting it until a mound of dirt and worms was wrought up from the topsoil.

      “We could take them all on if we had to,” he said.

      Romeo shoved his hands into the pockets of his cloak. “Remind me to have a doctor take a look at you, Cousin. You’re obviously delusional.”

      “Maybe he’ll be committed to a sanatorium,” Mercutio said snidely. “We’d all be better off.”

      “Actually, I could use some sanity right now,” Romeo said. “That dream of mine was terrifying.”

      Benvolio’s eyes widened. “Really? Go on.”

      Romeo glanced at Benvolio and Mercutio sceptically, knowing that they’d probably laugh at his story. But when he looked at the window again and saw nothing but pitch-blackness, he continued.

      “I dreamed that my lady came and found me dead, impaled by Vladimir himself. Then I was brought back to life by her kisses on my lips.”

      “That does not sound so awful,” Mercutio said.

      “I agree, you survived in the end,” Benvolio added.

      “You do not understand. I was alive again, but … as one of them.” Romeo nodded at the castle ominously.

      “Don’t worry, Romeo.” Benvolio picked up a worm and let it crawl around in his open palm, then suddenly flicked it off with his finger. “If this dream came true and you were turned by one of those filthy monsters, I would put you out of your misery. I could not promise you that it would be painless, but rest assured, it would be quick.”

      Romeo crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “That is very thoughtful of you, Benvolio.”

      “Romeo, look! The light came on inside the castle!” Mercutio said, pointing at the room where the maid servant had promised to give them safe passage.

      Romeo sighed in relief. “Thanks be to God.”

      “Do not thank God yet,” warned Benvolio as he patted Romeo hard on the back. “This mission has only just begun. Who knows what will happen when we enter the vampire lair during dinnertime?”

      “Stop being so dramatic,” Mercutio said as he reached into a hessian sack and pulled out three garlic cloves attached to link chains. “Here, take these. Friar Laurence dipped the cloves in triple-blessed holy water and the chain is made of pure silver. This combination will render us invisible to both vampires and werewolves. But it only lasts for another hour, so Romeo, you and your wench cannot dawdle.”

      “One more foul word about Rosaline, and I will pummel you with my fist,” Romeo snapped, ripping his string of garlic away from Mercutio and putting it around his neck.

      “Actually, I think you should bludgeon him with this.” Benvolio reached into the hessian sack and brought out a foot-long crowbar.

      Romeo stared at it in sheer amazement. “What else do you have in that bag?”

      “Just the usual—a handsaw, wooden stakes, a mason chisel, shears, and a couple of axes,” Mercutio explained matter-of-factly.

      “I suppose that will suffice,” Romeo said.

      “We cannot carry it all. That would only slow us down. Pick just one or two weapons and follow me.” Benvolio sneaked out of the bushes with cloves of garlic dangling around his neck and the crowbar in his right hand.

      Romeo stuffed the mason chisel and a wooden stake into the waistband of his trousers and then darted off behind Mercutio, who was already ahead and walking stride for stride with Benvolio.

      Romeo’s heart started pounding as he and his cousin dashed across the outskirts of the estate, making their way towards the gate. Romeo kept his eyes trained on the tower guards to make sure they had not been spotted. Fortunately, no one seemed the slightest bit aware of the Montague trespassers. The necklaces must have been working.

      “Here it is,” Mercutio whispered. He halted in front of a warped section of the gate, where one of the bars was bent to the side, creating a small hole. “Maribel told me that when she steals away to see me, she slips through this spot here to evade the guards.”

      Benvolio examined the damaged gate and sniggered. “Obviously she eats less than your last lady friend. That boar could not have got through here if she tried!”

      Mercutio poked Benvolio in the stomach with the handle of his mallet. “Neither will you, my paunchy friend.”

      “Stop fooling around and step aside.” Romeo snatched the crowbar away from Benvolio, wrapping his fingers around the base of it with all his strength. “We have a party to attend.”

      Careful not to make any loud sounds that would alert the guards, Romeo placed the crowbar between the two metal rungs in the gate so he could get ample leverage. He shifted his shoulders forward and then leaned backwards, hoping to prise the rungs apart even further so he and his cousins could sneak through. However, his effort made little difference.

      Romeo tried again, this time using both his arms and his leg muscles with all his might. His palms became wet with perspiration and his arms ached, but he ignored the pain and thought of Rosaline—her gorgeous, milk-coloured skin and bright, beaming eyes. He was so close to seeing her, he would not let anything or anyone stand in between them.

      Romeo dug deep into his soul for a surge of brute power, and with one final swift, heaving motion, he bent the metal rung so far that it almost snapped in two.

      “Aha! I did it! “ Romeo said, pumping a fist into the air in jubilation.

      “Congratulations, Romeo. That only took forever.” Benvolio rolled his eyes.

      “Let’s get on with this already,” Mercutio said.

      “I will lead the way,” Romeo said as he handed the crowbar to Benvolio and stepped through the new partition in the gate. One at a time, Benvolio and Mercutio followed behind him, their feet swift and light on the ground.

      “It is so dark out here. I can hardly see anything,” Romeo said, using the ambient yellow glow from the maid servant’s window to guide himself across the grounds.

      Suddenly Mercutio stopped dead in his tracks. “Wait, did you hear that?”

      “Hear what?” Romeo asked.

      “It sounded like … growling.”

      Romeo remained still and listened. Other than the sound of rustling tree branches, he did not hear anything out of the ordinary. “It is just the wind, Mercutio. Carry on.”

      The trio picked up their pace, taking large strides towards the castle, but they did not get too far before Benvolio made an abrupt stop.

      “Mercutio is right. Something is out here, watching

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