Dark Nights Part 9

Traian managed a boyish grin. "Finally, something impressed you."

A terrible howling, like that of a demon pack, echoed through the subterranean caverns, sending chills down Joie's spine. She swallowed sheer terror and managed a small, wan smile for her sister's sake-sheer bravado. "I think that's our cue to leave."

"Can we climb? How do we know where they are?" Gabrielle asked anxiously.

"d.a.m.n it to h.e.l.l, how many of those things are there?" Jubal demanded.

"It used to be, they hunted alone. Essentially, vampires are very self-centered and vain," Traian answered. "But what I've found here is unprecedented as far as I know. Three master vampire-Gallent and Valenteen allowed a third, a much more powerful master to manipulate them and their followers." He reached out and plucked hair from Joie's head. "They are coming for us. We have to get out of here now."

"Ow!" Joie glared at him. "That hurt."

"I need hair from all of you, preferably from the scalp, do not just break it off," Traian instructed, pulling a hair from his own head.

Jubal frowned, but did as Traian asked, handing him his hair. Gabrielle followed suit. Traian pulled a tiny bit of cloth from the wound on his leg, ignoring Gabrielle's hastily covered protest. He wound blood-stained threads around the hair.

"Stay where you are." He rose into the air, moved over the ice to a tunnel leading to the right and gathered more energy. He threw the hair and thread into the chamber and sent a powerful blast of air shooting through the tunnel.

"I'm going to carry you all to the hall you came through and then we're going to run fast. Try to run light. Vampires are creatures with great hearing. We want them to think we went right while we're going left," Traian instructed. "If possible, run single file."

"I'll bring up the rear," Jubal agreed, nodding his head.

Traian caught Joie's hand and tugged, dragging her after him. Joie reached out for Gabrielle.

If we talk telepathically, my brother and sister will hear as well as long as we remain connected like this physically. And we can run in synch, Joie explained as she tried to match Traian's strides, settling her feet where his had been. Her crampons made it easier to run along the ice without slipping, but she feared the sc.r.a.pes in the ice would alert the vampires.

The vampires will follow the scent of blood and I am masking our noise.

Gabrielle reached for Jubal, who tucked his gun into his belt and ran as lightly as possible in his sister's footsteps.

I don't really understand how you can do that, but you managed to make some kind of fireball and you sort of flew a bit, so I'm convinced, Joie said, careful to use telepathic communication so the sound wouldn't travel through the caves.

A Carpathian needs blood to survive, he explained as they hurried down the hall away from the b.l.o.o.d.y, blackened chamber. We do not kill those who give us blood. They are treated with the respect due them. We cannot be out in full sunlight and we sleep beneath the ground.

He felt it necessary to educate the three humans as quickly as possible. Should they become separated from him, they had to know how to survive. He could feel the stirring interest in all of them. Gabrielle was a scientist, and the information would appeal to her. Jubal would take it as it was meant-to save their lives. And Joie ... his heart turned over. His lifemate. He hadn't had time to really accept the truth of that.

More, Joie demanded. If you aren't a vampire, where did they come from?

We are a species nearly immortal. I say nearly because we can die given the right circ.u.mstances. Over time if we do not find our lifemate, the woman holding the other half of our soul-and there is only one-we lose emotion and the ability to see color. The world becomes a dull, unrelenting place.

The tunnel twisted unexpectedly, spilling them out into another great hall. This one had smooth, blue-green walls on three of the four sides, the ice folded in bands. The gallery opened into several hallways. The high ceiling was covered in sharp stalact.i.tes hanging down like giant icicle spears. One wall, rather than smooth, was covered in ice b.a.l.l.s, many as large as boulders where the water had run down and frozen. The sound of water was louder here, but coming from where, they couldn't tell. The roar seemed to echo through the chamber, making it impossible to tell which direction the underground river was.

Have you been here before? Jubal tested the telepathy link through their joined hands.

I do not know this place. I believe this is a mage cave.

Joie made a single sound in her throat and glanced back at Gabrielle as they paused to take stock of their surroundings and determine the best way back to the surface. Mage cave? I hate to ask.

Traian knew he was asking a lot to have these three humans understand his world. They'd been thrown in at the deep end of a very murky pool and were fighting for survival against mythical creatures out of horror films. He wanted to draw Joie into his arms and comfort her, but there was little comfort in a place of such danger.

A roar reverberated through the ice caves, a sound that rose to a high pitch of rage and promise of retribution.

They caught up with the b.l.o.o.d.y hair. We've got to go. We have to stay to the left. I know the general direction to get out, but we've got to run.

Above their heads, the stalact.i.tes rocked, the ominous sound of ice cracking loud, all around them. Traian took off running just as the chamber rocked with loud continuous claps of thunder. Great ice b.a.l.l.s hurled out of the walls toward them, big enough and with enough force to kill them should one hit them.

Gabrielle screamed and let go of Joie's hand, sprinting across the ice.

"Stay quiet," Traian hissed. "Stop her," he added to the woman's brother.

Jubal raced after Gabrielle and caught her, throwing her to the floor as a large spear crashed to the floor, shattering, sending shards of ice in all directions. Traian caught up Joie, his arms surrounding her, nearly crus.h.i.+ng her against his chest as more ice spears rained down and blocks of ice thundered out of the walls.

"Keep her there," Traian demanded of Jubal.

He ran, dodging spears and boulders of ice with Joie locked in his arms until he made it to Jubal and Gabrielle. He crouched beside them, pus.h.i.+ng Joie close to them as he gathered energy. The build-up was so fast and powerful, static electricity sent charges ricocheting off the ice walls and floor.

He covered the group as best he could, building a s.h.i.+eld around them so the powerful conical pillars of ice and large ice boulders smashed into the invisible force and broke apart. The ferocity and speed of the weapons flying at them was terrifying to see, as shaking stalact.i.tes broke free of the ceiling. They could look up and see the great columns of solid ice coming down right on top of them.

Is this natural? Joie asked. Because I've never seen anything like it all the years I've been going into caves. It was a storm of ice, a cavern angry with the intrusion and fighting to drive the trespa.s.sers out.

Traian could feel her heart pounding. He pulled her closer, sheltering her with his body. His strength was waning fast. The rags pushed into his wounds were soaked. He needed the healing earth and more blood fast and they were still a distance from the closest exit. He didn't get lost in the sense that he knew direction, but where any tunnel or hall within the cave led, he had no idea.

No. I will get you out. They cannot sustain this attack on us. The moment it lets up, we will make a break for the narrowest hallway to the left.

Gabrielle heard him through the grip her brother had on her. She raised her head to look at the stranger. His face was white and etched with small lines. She nudged Jubal, who glanced over his shoulder at the man.

Can you do this? Jubal asked. Hold out against this attack?

There is no other choice, Traian replied. There was no discussion, because there could be no other answer. He did what had to be done. The vampires were throwing a tantrum and doing their best to slow their prey down, but they had no idea exactly where they were yet and they wouldn't use up all their strength when they couldn't see their targets. We have to stay very quiet. They will find our scent and follow us, but there is no reason to make it easy on them.

I'm sorry, Gabrielle said. I'm not usually such a baby, I swear I don't usually lose control and fall apart.

Joie reached out to comfort her sister, taking her hand and holding it tight. We'll get out, we always do, she a.s.sured. You're not being a baby, Gabrielle.

Traian could hear the love in her voice. He could actually feel her love for her sister. The emotion was stark and raw and filled his throat with a lump. It had been too many centuries since he'd experienced such things.

The attack is already waning, Traian a.s.sured as he felt the violent energy around him lessen. A couple of minutes more and then we stay left. There's a tunnel, an ice slide, very narrow but pa.s.sable, that will take us down and away from them. I can close it after us if we are lucky and then we just have to find our way out.

His eyes met Jubal's over Joie's head. Her brother was no fool. It wasn't going to be easy finding their way out of the labyrinth. He hadn't explained mages and quite frankly, he didn't want to try. They were dealing with enough trying to get around the knowledge that vampires were real.

The thundering roar died down, leaving only the sound of cracking ice and dripping water. He threw off the s.h.i.+eld and jerked the two women up. "We've to go now. They are tracking us and they can move faster than we can."

They ran toward the left hallway.

You could outrun them without us, couldn't you? Joie asked.

That is beside the point. I will not leave you.

You're wounded.