“Looks like we broke Bovine’s spell,” I said.
“Sure does,” Tanda said, pointing to the shovel. “On both sides of it. Whoever had that shovel has left. And the front gates of the castle are standing wide open.”
She was right, but what I also noticed was that the gold trim that had decorated the gate was gone, and the gold along the top of the walls was gone. I looked slowly around. There wasn’t a speck of gold in sight. Tanda’s spell must have used it all around this area.
We walked across the soft grass toward the burning pile until the smell stopped us twenty feet away. It had been a vampire cow all right, but now its legs were sticking straight up in the air and its skin was burnt to a crisp. It looked as if had burst into flames and died almost instantly, before even turning completely back into its vampire form.
“What a waste,” Aahz said, staring at the burning creature.
“What are you talking about?” I asked. “That was a bloodsucking vampire.”
“No,” Aahz said, shaking head. “I mean what a waste of good meat. No one eats their steak well-done these days.”
He turned and smiled at me. “What was the chef thinking?”
“That it will be years before I eat another steak,” I said.
Chapter Eighteen
“So where’s the profit?”
TERECTUS
Victorious or not, we were still pretty tired by the time we made our way back to where we had left Harold and Glenda. Something I’ve noticed in the past about playing with channeling energies: when it’s over, what you feel is drained.
The first thing that was noticeable was that apparently Harold had untied Glenda, as she was conscious and perched in a chair across the table from him. The second was that Harold himself seemed far more composed as he rose to greet us.