(27) Two vampires, a ghoul and a shifter.

"Research," Piers told Linden when asked. "We need to find out all we can about revenants."

"Hot damn. I was hoping you wouldn't let Helmut scare you away from it."

Piers snorted. "Not even. I don't scare easily and," he hissed, "I do not like being lied to 'for my own safety'." He made air quotes as he said that last.

"I agree totally. Besides, we really do have to stop him. Helmut said people are still suffering and dying in the dungeon."

"Agreed, and we'll have to find out why." Piers retrieved the loose-leaf folder from the desk, thumbing through it until he came to the page he needed. "The books on the supernatural are on those shelves," he told Linden, pointing at them.

It took a few minutes but Linden found two that he thought would give them the information they needed. They each took one, reading the relevant parts and then trading off, taking notes as they did.

When they'd finished Piers said, "Well we knew this wasn't going to be easy."

"At least he can be killed if we can get close enough to him."

"The problem is revenants don't feel pain and can take tons of damage without even flinching according to both those books, so if we don't hit his heart or take his head before he gets to us we're the dead ones."

"Or we find out personally what he does in the dungeon," Linden commented with a shudder. "If Helmut wasn't just trying to scare the hell out of us then the revenant takes prisoners."

"Probably stocking up to feed on when pickings are scarce."

Linden nodded. "I wonder why he didn't grab us. He was watching. It had to be him. We need to find out how much of the land was his, you know. Helmut said we weren't to go within a thousand yards of the ruins. I wonder if he meant that literally or figuratively."

"Let me see what I can find," Piers said, going to the library table. "At least things are organized," he murmured as he opened the drawer where he'd found the sketches. He took a yellowed paper from one of the folders, unfolding it carefully. "And we're in luck."

Leaning on the desk beside him, Linden looked at the faded map. "For a castle it didn't have all that much land."

Piers shrugged. "The less the better as far as I'm concerned because it means we can get closer before we have to worry about running into him. At least now we know there's more to Rod's wanting to keep tourists off the estate than just the desire for privacy."

"What about the servants? I wonder if they've been warned."

"They're all human so he's probably just told them the same thing he told me, that the ruins are unsafe because the walls could still be unstable or the ground might cave in. I do know that Mr. Pope avoids the area even during hunting season."

"Don't want the hunter to become the hunted," Linden said with a small chuckle.

"Not by that thing, for damned sure. This is going to take a lot of planning, both about how to kill it, and how to get to the ruins without Helmut knowing."

Linden nodded. "But we've got time. It's not like we're going anywhere."