Dark Ghost (15 page)

Her shoes felt stiff and tight as she pulled them on. She warmed up her body by doing some shoulder pushups, a few leg swings and stretches. She tried wiggling her toes in her shoes and slowly she felt the leather start to warm and mold to her feet. After a little while she took her shoes halfway off, leaving her toes inside to keep them warm.

She concentrated on the boulder one more time, mentally climbing the problem first from start to finish, visualizing herself doing the moves successfully. After she had successfully topped out the climb in her mind she pulled the shoes back on completely, and sure enough they felt perfect.

The first contact with the crimps felt a little cold but the solid rock felt amazing to her hands. Teagan felt the rock lightly at first and then once she found the perfect place to crimp she pulled onto the rock, her feet resting on tiny footholds. She moved into a small under-cling with her right hand and then set herself up for the dynamic throw with a scrunched drop knee. She focused on the pinch, quickly calculating the amount of power she would have to give as she visualized herself sticking it.

She launched herself, letting out her breath and tightening her core, the wave of extension starting from her left toe and flowing through her body in one clean motion. The moment of contact with the hold was empowering. She absolutely loved the feeling that big moves gave her. She felt strong and in control of her body. Being in control was important to her.

The pinch was wide in her hand and the texture was rough. Her right foot cut as she hit the pinch – it would have been impossible to keep it on with her small size – but her left foot stayed on as she stretched to full extension and kept her core from collapsing from the strain. The hold to the right wasn’t the best for a hand, but it made a nice heel hook and she quickly took advantage, giving her right foot a home.

Teagan locked off on the pinch, drawing her body up and close to the rock face as she pulled down on the heel to gain the large sloper. She cupped the top of it with first her right hand and then matched with her left. She kept her body under the hold as she pulled straight up, trying to maintain the best friction with the smooth hold. As she moved up she transitioned her heel to a toe as she stood up to gain the next smooth ledge above her. It was worse than she had hoped for, but good enough to keep going.

The sun fell further and shades of gray sliced through the light. With the gray came wisps of fog sliding like fingers toward her. She glanced up the mountain toward the highest peak where the mountain was always encased in mist. Now, the mist had crept down so that up above, where the cave was located, the fog appeared so dense it looked impenetrable. She didn’t want to be on the boulder when mist came in that thick.

The next few moves she executed swiftly, and she was happy to find her assessment correct in that the holds got better toward the roof. It was a little daunting coming up underneath the roof thinking about going over it and committing to the slab above it, but seeing those large holds gave her the confidence she needed. As she made her way up she tapped on the larger holds to make sure they were safe.

The last thing she wanted was to go flying to the ground because she pulled on a hold that was too fragile. The moves might be easier now, but the risk was far greater. Caution was now her main priority and each move was executed with more care and more precision than the last. She took her time, feeling around for the most solid holds, using as little force as needed, and planning her strategy over the roof. Her caution paid off and soon she stood above the roof, feeling satisfied. Only a few more moves to go to reach the summit.

She glanced up and saw nothing but gray mist. Her heart stuttered. The fog couldn’t have come in that thick, or that fast. There wasn’t even a wind. She became aware of the utter stillness. There was no drone of insects. No cries of birds. No slight movement anywhere around her.

This wasn’t good. She was clinging to the side of a boulder, a good sixteen feet in the air. She felt cautiously for her next hold. She had practically memorized the climb in her mind before she’d started and she knew where it was, her body just had to pull the information from her head.

The first fingers of mist reached her, touching her hand when she reached for the small pocket she knew was there. She jerked her hand back and nearly lost her footing. Gasping, she caught at the rock again and flattened herself against it. The moment the fog had touched her skin, she knew it wasn’t normal fog.

The vapor was sticky, clinging to her, sending prickles of fear through her and a chill down her spine. Worse, something moved in the fog. She knew it. Whatever the entity was, it was using the spreading mist as concealment.

She bit her lip and tried to calm her breathing. She had to think. Was it better to take a chance and bail, or climb the last foot into the fog? Her skin crawled, and the dread grew to full-fledged fear.
Something
was coming toward her and it felt wholly evil. She had to make a decision and she had to do it fast.

T
eagan made a quick decision to down-climb while she had the chance. Getting back over the roof was going to be difficult, but once under it, it would help shelter her from the fog. Her skin hurt as if burned from the small exposure to the unnatural droplets of mist. She knew it didn’t make any sense, and maybe it was another hallucination, but if so, it was one that was all too real.

She swore out loud, words her grandmother would have washed out her mouth for, as she looked at the skin of her hand. There were blisters. Actual blisters. She sucked in her breath. Real or not, she was getting the hell out of there before the fog enveloped her entire body.

Reversing her moves back over the roof, especially with her body trembling and her heart going crazy, was unthinkable, but sometimes life required the unthinkable. Going up into the blistering fog would be a far worse fate. She turned her focus on her breathing and tried to steady her mind to the task at hand. She moved cautiously but swiftly down to the roof. As she made her way to the roof’s edge she tried hard not to look up at the fog or down at the ground. Relax. She had to relax.

The easy moves coming up over the lip proved much more difficult in reverse. Not being able to see the footholds under the roof was a challenge. Plus the holds that felt so nice on the ascent felt much worse when lowering her body over the edge. Her left leg dangled under the roof feeling around for the good foothold she used coming up. She knew it was there somewhere, but it was as if it disappeared completely. As she struggled to find something to stand on she made the mistake of looking up. Fog was coming toward her fast. She needed to get under the roof immediately.

Teagan lowered herself even further, dangling both feet under the roof and feeling around. There. A large pocket was her salvation. She felt immediate relief as she shifted her weight onto it. She moved quickly, underclinging to the roof with both hands. Able to see under the roof now, she made a few more moves until she was safe. Sweet relief flooded her as she huddled under the cover of the roof just in time to escape the fog.

She still was in danger though. The fog could still reach her, and now she was trapped half way up the rock face. The roof provided some coverage but the fog was still moving. As crazy as it sounded, it almost seemed as if the fog was hunting her. She needed a plan and she needed to move quickly.

Risk assessment was a common part of climbing and she let that part of her brain take command. Staying put seemed like suicide. She could probably down-climb the next two moves, but after that it would be extremely challenging and she would probably be too slow if the fog kept coming. Two moves and then she would need to drop if the fog was still coming. A ground fall, but a risk she would have to take.

 

 

Teagan was gone. Andre’s eyelids snapped open and he rolled to his feet, waving his hand automatically as he’d done for centuries to conceal his identity. Fresh clothes, fresh body, completely clean as if he’d just stepped from the shower and dressed. He was already running and on the third step he shifted, becoming nothing more than tiny molecules streaking through the caves toward the entrance.

He reached for her, the connection strong, and found he was already too late. She had inadvertently strayed almost straight into the hands of one of Costin Popescu’s lesser vampires.

Teagan. Hear me.
 

He burst into the open. The sun had just set and darkness had not taken over, but he could see the thick, dense fog. It was oily and sticky to the touch. It carried the taint of evil. His heart thudded in his chest and he tasted terror in his mouth.

Teagan, answer me now.
He pushed command into his voice.

He felt her then, a small stirring, tentative, following the thread of the path he created between them. She was afraid. She felt the danger surrounding her.

Andre?
There was a tremor in her voice.

I am coming to you.
He tamped down his fear for her – fear that he would be too late. Just as he’d been so many years ago. He had many memories, but over the centuries they had faded until he had nearly forgotten them. But not the one he wanted to forget. The one that haunted him every rising.

I don’t know if you’re real.
 

Her breathy little voice tugged at his heartstrings. She was frightened, and he detested that she was. Even more, he detested that she had reason to be.

Look around you, sivamet.
 

The fog is close.
Teagan’s voice wavered as if she was going to lose it but then she continued.
Something’s in it. It touched my skin and felt wrong. It felt evil. Where it touched my hand burns. I down-climbed and I’m just under the roof which gives me a little shelter but I can feel the fog reaching for me.

He cursed silently in his ancient language. She was definitely in the path of a vampire’s trap. If the fog had touched her skin, the vampire sitting in the middle of that web had just felt the tug on one of his lures and he would be creeping out to find out what kind of prey he had snagged.

I’m sorry, I know I sound a little hysterical, but I don’t want whatever is in the fog to get me.
 

She thought he didn’t believe her. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her close. Protect her. But right at this moment, he needed to push those thoughts away and make certain he
could
protect her.

I need to see around you. Keep your eyes open. I am in your mind and I can see through your eyes. You have to do this, Teagan. You have to be brave and allow me to guide you through this.
 

He felt her take a breath. Felt her release it.

Okay, but if I’m crazy like my grandmother and you’re just a figment of my imagination, I’m going to be really angry with you.
 

That nearly broke him. He wouldn’t lose her. He couldn’t. Not to a vampire. Not to anything. She was full of life. Strong. And she had a sense of humor that got to him every time.

Andre knew he was close to her, but close wasn’t good enough, not now that he knew the vampire was also targeting her position. He slipped further into Teagan, using their strong connection, gaining her vision. He felt her first reaction, a revulsion of feeling his presence so strong in her mind.

Her terror mounted. Whatever was coming for her was close and she didn’t know what to do, whether to push off the rock and chance landing wrong, stay where she was and let the fog reach her, or try to down climb to get a little closer to the ground before letting go. Having made it over the roof, she at least had a shot at not hurting herself when she jumped.

No. Do not do anything yet. Do not move.
 

She clung to the side of a boulder feeling vulnerable and exposed. Her body trembled. She wasn’t certain if he was real or part of a hallucination, yet she remained as calm as possible, even though sharing her mind with him totally freaked her out. He wasn’t altogether certain what the term
freaked out
meant, but he assumed it wasn’t good.

The fog is almost on me.
 

Now there was panic creeping in. He felt it in her and realized the emotion was coming from him as well. He forced himself to shed all emotion. He couldn’t afford to think of her alone and vulnerable.

Look around you. I need to use your vision. Let me see exactly where you are in relationship to the fog.
 

He pushed into her mind, connecting to the pathways of her vision. At once he could see her predicament. The dense, unnatural fog was creeping toward her. She either had to allow it to envelop her or she had to let herself fall from the boulder.

Keep looking at the fog.
 

His tone left no room for argument. His tone, his power, every bit of ancient warrior and primitive predator was in his voice. He stared into the fog, using Teagan’s eyes. Even as he streaked through the darkening sky toward her, he narrowed in on the vampire making his way toward Teagan.

A fierce wind hit the fog, rushing through the dense, sticky trap to disperse it. At the same time, clouds burst open to dump rain on the vampire’s web in order to neutralize the acid hidden within the mist. A bolt of light shot into the mass of fog, lighting up the sky, illuminating the interior of the fog.

Like a deadly spider, the vampire was exposed, crawling cautiously toward the boulder and his prey. The bolt nearly pierced him, forcing him to spring sideways, screaming at the intense light hitting him. For a moment he was completely visible.

Teagan screamed and closed her eyes to block out the sight of the monster. His mouth was wide open in a hideous shriek, revealing his sharpened, stained teeth. His eyes glowed red and burned with a fierce need to rend and kill. He had hair, but it was dirty and hung in mats.

“This isn’t real. This isn’t real,” she chanted.

Open your eyes,
Andre commanded. Relentless. Implacable. Forcing his will on her when it was the last thing he ever wanted.

The vampire shrieked again, and this time Andre heard the piercing cry of triumph. The lightning hadn’t struck him, hadn’t even slowed him down. He wanted his prize, the rich, fear-based adrenaline-spiked blood in the human. It would give him a rush, give him more power for the battle he knew was coming.

Open your eyes,
Andre hissed a second time.

She obeyed.
I have to let go. The boulder is slick now, making it harder to hold on to. The fog is coming. I have to jump.

Not yet,
he cautioned. He saw the fall in her mind. She’d fallen many times bouldering and she knew what she was doing. He could help, floating her to the earth.
Wait until I tell you. I am close by. He is dropping out of the sky toward you. Wait.

He felt her need to close her eyes, but he refused to allow it. He needed to see what was happening. He smelled the vampire now and felt the taint of evil in the air. He detested that smell and he knew, no matter how long he lived, he would never forget it. Just like the memory of his youth, that smell was locked into his mind for all time.

Do not take your eyes off of him.
 

More than anything else she wanted to look away, to jump and try to run, but Andre held her locked there, refusing to allow her to give in to her fears. He refused to allow himself to feel her terror, but he couldn’t drown out the hammering of her heart, and he knew that sound drew the vampire like a beacon.

Breathe, slow your heart, sivamet. Do not give him the satisfaction of hearing or feeling your fear.
 

He didn’t want her to shut down on him. He should have known she wouldn’t. She stared up at the rapidly descending monster.

Now.
 

Andre didn’t need to tell her twice. Looking down, Teagan made a visual with her landing zone then lowered her body as far as she could off the holds she was on. She let go with a small push off the slab and lifted her arms above her head to keep from hitting the rock as she fell straight down. She’d come off boulders before and she knew to keep her feet flat so there was less chance of twisting or breaking an ankle. She focused on relaxing, on keeping her body straight, and on softening her knees for impact. She fell like a cat, experienced, as if falling from this height toward the hard earth without a crash pad was the most natural thing in the world.

She expected to hit fairly hard. The fall was a good distance and she knew without the crash pad, most likely it would jar like a son of a bitch and she’d fall back on her butt. Two feet from the ground, she actually seemed to decelerate, as if time had slowed down and with it her. When her feet touched the ground, it was truly the softest landing she’d ever had.

“What the hell?” Teagan whispered, earning her another mouth washing from Grandma Trixie. “What the
hell
is going on.” If she was getting her mouth washed out with soap, it might as well be for a good reason.

Already she was on the ground, pulling off her climbing shoes and wiggling her toes to make certain she could run again. Grabbing her hiking boots and socks, she dragged them on as fast as she could.

The monster in the fog dove at her from above, his eyes burning right through her, streaking like a comet from outer space. She sat there, frozen for a moment while the thing just got bigger and scarier. Long, bony arms reached for her. Each hand had long, talonlike fingernails. They looked more like blades than fingernails and she was certain each was razor-sharp.

“This isn’t real. This is an illusion. This isn’t real. This is an illusion.” She chanted the mantra over and over.

“You will give yourself willingly to me,” the thing snarled, exposing his fangs as he pushed his will at her.

Her body jerked, notes in her head jarring and crashing, so far out of tune the sound hurt her ears. She didn’t take her eyes from the face. He was muttering something and he looked triumphant. She realized he believed she wasn’t moving because he’d forced a compulsion on her. She did hear a buzzing along with the jarring notes, but her mind refused to tune itself to the jangled tone. The sound made her stomach heave and bile rose in her throat.