Read Online Grimm: The Killing Time by Tim Waggoner - Free Book Online
Authors: Tim Waggoner
Ads: Link
even ten thirty yet.”
“And you know Blutbaden,” Monroe said. “We do our best work at night.” He frowned. “That didn’t come out the way I meant it.”
In German,
Blutbad
meant
blood bath
, and the name was more than appropriate. Blutbaden were a wolf-type Wesen infamous for their savagery and bloodlust. Monroe was, in his own words, a “reformed” Blutbad, who maintained a tightly controlled regimen of diet, exercise, meditation, and medication designed to help him suppress the violent tendencies of his kind. He was neat in his habits and dress, a sign of the control he exerted over every aspect of his life to keep the wilder aspects of his Blutbad nature in check. But from time to time, Nick could see the wolf in Monroe peering out through his friend’s eyes: a calculating feral intelligence combined with barely restrained urges. In these moments, Nick felt very glad that Monroe worked as hard as he did to keep the beast inside him contained.
Rosalee was a Fuchsbau, a fox-type Wesen, and while on the surface, a Fuchsbau and a Blutbad might seem an odd combination for a couple, she and Monroe made it work. She was a gentle-natured woman with brownish-red hair, large eyes, and full lips. She was extremely pretty, but Nick thought her most attractive feature was the way her face mirrored her emotions. Whatever Rosalee felt, good or bad, was displayed for the world to see. Given his job, he often had to keep his own feelings hidden, and he admired such openness. He found Rosalee’s apparent lack of guile to be ironic, though, as Fuchsbau had a reputation for being manipulative, scheming, and shady. Rosalee didn’t seem to possess any of these traits, but every once and a while, a sly look came into her gaze, and Nick knew there was more to her than met the eye.
Nick nodded to the book on the counter. “So what have you got?”
Rosalee placed an index finger on one of the entries.
“Read this and tell me if it sounds like the Wesen you encountered tonight,” she said.
Nick turned the book around so he could see it better and read aloud.
“‘Wechselbalg. German for changeling. These Wesen are born without identities of their own and exist by periodically assuming the identity of others. They take on their victim’s appearance, personality, and memories, reducing the victim into basic proteins in the process.’” He paused and looked up at Hank. “Sounds a lot nicer than ‘puddle of goo,’ doesn’t it?”
“Sure does.”
“Wechselbalgen are where the legends of doppelgangers came from,” Monroe said. “You know, evil spirits that duplicate their victims’ bodies and replace them? I’ve never met one before.”
“Me neither,” Rosalee said. “From what I understand, they keep to themselves for the most part.”
Nick continued reading. “‘The Wechselbalg is known to duplicate only humans. It is unclear if this is a biological restriction or a preference. While the Wechselbalg has no true appearance of its own, it does have a transitional form that resembles fluid quicksilver. It uses retractable needle-like spines to absorb a victim’s identity, and while the specifics of how the process functions remain unclear, it is believed that duplication is accomplished in a relatively short time. Wechselbalgen are generally healthy and are immune to disease even while in human form. Their borrowed bodies do tend to show signs of wear and decay after a time, signaling the need for the Wechselbalg to seek out a new victim. The length of time a Wechselbalg can retain a specific form is uncertain, but it’s believed that five years is the average, with ten years being the upper limit. As long as the Wechselbalg can find new forms to duplicate, it can conceivably live far longer than a normal lifespan. Health concerns for Wechselbalgen include infection of digital spines if they are not cleaned regularly, loss of dermal elasticity—especially as the time to seek a new host approaches—and in
“And you know Blutbaden,” Monroe said. “We do our best work at night.” He frowned. “That didn’t come out the way I meant it.”
In German,
Blutbad
meant
blood bath
, and the name was more than appropriate. Blutbaden were a wolf-type Wesen infamous for their savagery and bloodlust. Monroe was, in his own words, a “reformed” Blutbad, who maintained a tightly controlled regimen of diet, exercise, meditation, and medication designed to help him suppress the violent tendencies of his kind. He was neat in his habits and dress, a sign of the control he exerted over every aspect of his life to keep the wilder aspects of his Blutbad nature in check. But from time to time, Nick could see the wolf in Monroe peering out through his friend’s eyes: a calculating feral intelligence combined with barely restrained urges. In these moments, Nick felt very glad that Monroe worked as hard as he did to keep the beast inside him contained.
Rosalee was a Fuchsbau, a fox-type Wesen, and while on the surface, a Fuchsbau and a Blutbad might seem an odd combination for a couple, she and Monroe made it work. She was a gentle-natured woman with brownish-red hair, large eyes, and full lips. She was extremely pretty, but Nick thought her most attractive feature was the way her face mirrored her emotions. Whatever Rosalee felt, good or bad, was displayed for the world to see. Given his job, he often had to keep his own feelings hidden, and he admired such openness. He found Rosalee’s apparent lack of guile to be ironic, though, as Fuchsbau had a reputation for being manipulative, scheming, and shady. Rosalee didn’t seem to possess any of these traits, but every once and a while, a sly look came into her gaze, and Nick knew there was more to her than met the eye.
Nick nodded to the book on the counter. “So what have you got?”
Rosalee placed an index finger on one of the entries.
“Read this and tell me if it sounds like the Wesen you encountered tonight,” she said.
Nick turned the book around so he could see it better and read aloud.
“‘Wechselbalg. German for changeling. These Wesen are born without identities of their own and exist by periodically assuming the identity of others. They take on their victim’s appearance, personality, and memories, reducing the victim into basic proteins in the process.’” He paused and looked up at Hank. “Sounds a lot nicer than ‘puddle of goo,’ doesn’t it?”
“Sure does.”
“Wechselbalgen are where the legends of doppelgangers came from,” Monroe said. “You know, evil spirits that duplicate their victims’ bodies and replace them? I’ve never met one before.”
“Me neither,” Rosalee said. “From what I understand, they keep to themselves for the most part.”
Nick continued reading. “‘The Wechselbalg is known to duplicate only humans. It is unclear if this is a biological restriction or a preference. While the Wechselbalg has no true appearance of its own, it does have a transitional form that resembles fluid quicksilver. It uses retractable needle-like spines to absorb a victim’s identity, and while the specifics of how the process functions remain unclear, it is believed that duplication is accomplished in a relatively short time. Wechselbalgen are generally healthy and are immune to disease even while in human form. Their borrowed bodies do tend to show signs of wear and decay after a time, signaling the need for the Wechselbalg to seek out a new victim. The length of time a Wechselbalg can retain a specific form is uncertain, but it’s believed that five years is the average, with ten years being the upper limit. As long as the Wechselbalg can find new forms to duplicate, it can conceivably live far longer than a normal lifespan. Health concerns for Wechselbalgen include infection of digital spines if they are not cleaned regularly, loss of dermal elasticity—especially as the time to seek a new host approaches—and in
Similar Books
