James looked at Lord Harcourt, who nodded. He took a deep breath and looked back at Cora. "I have reason to believe a nosferatu is at the heart of this infestation."
"That's one of your special vampires, right?"
"Yes, an intelligent, powerful being," James said. "The nosferatu possess the ability to control the lesser vrykolakas like extensions of their own bodies. I believe this control is what allowed them to bypass the wards I set up in the mine."
"Ah," Cora said, "so they're too tough for stuff like that when they've got a big bad at their heels."
"Essentially, though it is more accurate to say that they are simply no longer frightened by them," James said. "Contact with these elements can still injure and kill them, but the nosferatu's influence may be capable of overpowering their instinctive fear of death."
"Good." Cora nodded in satisfaction. "I hate fighting monsters I can't kill." Her face clouded over as a thought struck her. "So why do you need my help, again? You got it figured out what's causing this, and you know how to kill it. Where do I come in?"
"Well," James said, looking at his hands again, "I'm afraid I am unable to contain the vrykolakas through my efforts alone. Their lack of inhibition is quite problematic, and…" He trailed off.
"Spit it out, George," Cora said, waving her hand in a circle.
"I've never actually killed a vampire myself." He continued staring at his hands, waiting for her laughter, but it never came. He peered over his glasses at her, surprised.
"What?" Cora asked. "Ain't no shame in that. Not many folks can make such a claim, and even less that are telling it true."
"Yes, well, I suppose you're right," James said. "Anyway, as I told you on the train, my primary interest in vampires is scholarly, so I'm not much for actually combating them. I can contain and exorcise ordinary infestations, but this situation is beyond my capacity for either." He spread his hands to either side, palms upward. "To put it another way, we require a sword, but all I can offer is a shield."
Cora leaned back in her chair, the empty glass back in her hand. She stared into the fire, watching the sparks flutter each time it popped. Taking on a nest like this wasn't going to be as easy as she'd first thought. From what James said, there could be as many as a dozen vampires in Harcourt's mine, and one of them was as intelligent and cunning as any human. She wasn't sure if these nosferatu existed or not, but they were as good an explanation as any for a bunch of the lesser vampires to form a nest like that.
She looked at Lord Harcourt and his loyal vampire scholar. They were both waiting for her answer. If she and Ben took this job, they might very well not come back from it. If they did, they could retire with the reward and set up a quieter life for themselves. These two British gentlemen were offering them the chance of a lifetime: to brave impossible odds and either emerge victorious with a king's ransom in their pockets or perish in a vicious struggle that would earn them places among the pages of James Townsend's books. They would be the General Custers of the vampire hunting world.
"All right, then, you've got yourselves a deal."
"So we're just supposed to march into a dark, crowded mine and pick a fight with a dozen vampires?" Ben asked.
"That's the general idea," Cora said, "which you would know if you wasn't so damn taken with Harcourt's books."
"That man's got an amazing collection," Ben said. "I reckon we could make a living just printing books for him."
"Well, if we live through this, we may end up doing just that. Five thousand dollars could set us up proper for the rest of our lives if we had the notion."
They were back in their room in the Northern Hotel, the sheets pulled up to their shoulders. A single flame danced on the lamp wick near Cora's head.
"I don't reckon you'd be apt to just sit on your rear and work a press all day," Ben said. "I know you better than that."
"Maybe so," Cora said, "but I've been thinking." She rolled onto her side and looked him in the eyes. "This new job will see us rich or see us dead. If it sees us rich, I don't see no reason why it can't be our