She felt fragile to Fen, but he wasn’t a stupid man and he didn’t say that to her. He wanted to take her out of there and just hold her tight, but there was no turning back. He kept close to the walls of the room, moving slowly to keep from disturbing the air. He matched the temperature of his molecules to the chamber’s so that even that couldn’t give him away.
He’s here,
he cautioned Dimitri.
In this room. Hiding. Tatijana, move back a little more from the entrance. If he felt you there, he would think you were retreating toward the other chamber.
He’s got a lot of weapons in here,
Dimitri reminded,
but so do we.
Tatijana moved away from the door and they lost sight of her. Both stilled, waiting. Patience was needed in the hunt. No one moved. Time passed. Water dripped and the continuous creaking of the ice became a strange music. More drops ran down the west-facing wall. Small. Like tiny beads of sweat. Hardly noticeable. Both hunters noticed.
The droplets rolled halfway down the sheet of ice before they froze there. Still, the hunters didn’t take the bait. They waited in absolute stillness. Again time passed. The creaking of the ice gave way to a thunderous roar from a chamber quite close as the pressure pushed a giant-sized chunk out of a wall and flung it hard into the room. The chunk crashed to the floor with a resounding boom, shaking several adjoining caves.
With the strength of the vibrations, a few of the round balls clinging to the walls close to Fen broke free and fell to the floor, crashing and splintering into fragments like glass. A soft chuckle added to the music of the ice.
He believes we fell for his ruse and went to the next chamber,
Fen said.
He’s going to be fast, Dimitri, he’s fighting for his life and a cornered wolf is a very dangerous one.
His brother knew as much about wolves as he did, but still, he worried. He wasn’t about to get Dimitri killed, and his younger brother always was patient about Fen giving him advice. He was quiet, often shaking his head, but he never seemed offended.
Both hunters focused on the corner, up by the ceiling where the drips had originated.
Don’t reveal yourself to him, even if it looks as if I’ve staked him. He won’t know you’re close by and we’ll get that second chance at him,
Fen instructed.
Tatijana, if he slips through, conceal yourself, don’t try to take him on alone.
I would never consider taking him on alone.
She had that little snippy voice that told him she might be up to something, but he had to trust her word and know she would put her safety first.
The ice at the corner of the wall began to ripple as if it was coming alive. More water dripped and then ran down the side of the wall in a little stream. Bardolf didn’t bother to keep his body temperature the same as the chamber. He preferred his comfort, and ice caves weren’t for wolves.
Fen had never tried to kill a
Sange rau
without its body. He didn’t even know if it could be done. At best, he might be able to force Bardolf into another form, giving Dimitri the chance to kill him. Nevertheless, he planned to try. He began drifting up toward the corner of the ceiling, keeping his movements slow, so there was no chance of his disturbing the air.
Bardolf was pleased with himself. He continued to chuckle out loud as he slowly removed his shelter. He had surrounded himself with a thick sheet of ice, blending it seamlessly into the wall, so it was impossible to detect. He just hadn’t been able to force himself to be as cold as he needed to keep the ice from melting.
Fen remembered when he’d first come upon Bardolf’s pack so long ago, when the Lycan had been the alpha. Even then he liked his comforts. His mate served him first and would massage his feet and back for him no matter how tired she was or what she’d done that day. He liked a hot fire waiting in his house and if it wasn’t lit, there was hell to pay.
The ice in the corner shimmered. Slowly, Bardolf emerged. He had chosen to stream through the ice cave in the form of vapor as well, but because he needed warmth, steam rose around him, giving Fen a target to lock onto. As Bardolf moved forward, Fen attacked, shifting at the last possible second, a silver stake in his fist. He plunged it into the center of the mist, hoping to hit the heart, but knowing it would be nearly impossible. As he pushed the silver stake into the vapor, he melted all but the point so that the silver spread fast, coating every molecule.
Bardolf screamed in agony as the silver invaded his body, working its way through him. He shifted immediately, hands grabbing at the melting stake, trying to pull it from his body, even as he directed the icicles above their heads to fly at Fen.
Icicles rained down, sharp missiles seeking targets, hundreds of them, so that the chamber was filled with the sounds of cracking ice as they broke away from the ceiling to hurtle toward Fen. He threw up a shield around his body, but that split second it took to do so allowed Bardolf to shoot away from him, across the room, racing toward the arched doorway he had come through earlier.
Dimitri waited in absolute stillness, positioning himself directly in front of that door, Bardolf’s only way to escape. The
Sange rau
ran straight into a silver stake, impaling himself on it. Bardolf had been moving fast and with Dimitri’s enormous strength, the stake went deep, piercing the heart, but not going through.
Bardolf wrenched himself away at the last moment, just enough to keep the stake from penetrating through his heart. Cursing, blood pouring from his wound to drip on the floor of ice, he used both hands to pull the stake from his body and slam it hard into Dimitri’s shoulder, to drive him back.
Fen streaked across the room while the hail of icicles followed him, heat-seeking drones locked on to him specifically. Bardolf was already on the run, racing through the door to the next chamber. He uttered a cry of alarm, but then slammed a block of ice into the entrance, trapping Fen and Dimitri on the other side.
Tatijana, get out of there. Don’t reveal yourself to him.
Tatijana watched Bardolf burst through the door. She was not alone. Branislava had felt her rising distress upon entering the ice caves and she had come, as she always had.
Spiders, spiders of firespun ice, hear my call, spin and splice. Create a web of finest thread to protect your sisters from harm or dread.
Thousands of tiny spiders raced down the wall, slipping out of cracks and crevices, coming up from the floor and down from the ceiling, weaving and spinning fine webs of silken orange-red flames. There were so many of them, coming from every direction that the density and sheer size of the web was astounding.
Neither Tatijana nor Branislava moved, remaining directly behind the fiery protection, facing the wounded
Sange rau
without flinching.
Blood poured from his chest, and he roared with fury, the sound reverberating through the ice chamber. Great cracks appeared in the walls, crackling and groaning. Bardolf shifted, his muzzle elongating, making room for his teeth. His eyes went red and fur sprang around his upper body and arms. Huge sharp claws burst from his hands. He stood tall on two legs staring at the two women with hatred and malevolence.
“Take it down and I will spare your lives,” he bargained, his voice mostly growls. Saliva dripped from his muzzle in long strings.
Tatijana smiled serenely. “We are Dragonseeker, and we have faced a monster far worse than you. You will not pass.”
Both women lifted their hands and began to weave a pattern in the air.
Air, Earth, Fire and Water, hear my call. See your daughters . . .
The force of the elements coming together, spinning into a tight woven power, sent energy crackling through the room. The air itself grew heavy with the intensity of the combination.
Air unseen, seek that which is closed. Earth that does hold open, unfold. Fire that burns, eat that which would harm, water that flows, break open this door.
Air whistled as it gusted around the block of ice preventing Fen and Dimitri from following Bardolf into the chamber. The mountain rumbled, shaking the block, loosening the edges as the wind continually battered the seal. Spiders raced to spin their fiery strands around the entire block of ice so that water ran in streams to unseal the door.
Bardolf raged at them. His blood, tainted with the vampire’s acid blood, dropped in great globs on the floor, causing the two women to look uneasily at one another. The cave was Xavier’s domain and blood would call evil to it.
Bardolf clapped his great claws together and chunks of ice fell on the thick fiery web. Instead of destroying the fire spider’s web, the chunks melted as they dropped through, the silken strands glowing and leaping with fiery flames.
Behind him, Bardolf could see the door melting away. He chose the fire rather than facing the two hunters. Using his speed, he rushed into the web, expecting to break through. The webbing wrapped him up, trapping him while thousands of fire spiders leapt on his body, biting and feasting on his flesh. Flames raced through his fur, engulfing him as he fought to break out of the dense web.
Behind him, the door fell from a combination of the elements and the two men working on it from the other side. Fen and Dimitri rushed into the room so fast they nearly ran into the fire web themselves. Both stopped abruptly, shocked at the sight of the two women standing together, side by side, while the
Sange rau
struggled in the fiery webbing. It wouldn’t kill him, but it certainly would slow him down.
The floor rippled, the ice pushing upward in places as if the cave had become unstable.
“Hurry, Fen,” Tatijana said. “We can’t stay here. There’s evil coming for us.”
She lifted her hands into the air, stepping closer to the web.
Spiders, spiders, friends of ours, ensure your flames do my lifemate and kin no harm.
“Fen, now.” Desperation edged her voice.
Muffled sounds came from beneath them, a booming, like a heartbeat, striking dread in all of them.
Seeing Bardolf covered in thousands of spiders, being eaten alive and burned at the same time, gave him pause, but he trusted Tatijana and he forced himself to step forward into that fiery web. He caught hold of Bardolf, trapped in the fire, expecting the flames to burn him, but when he touched the web, he felt only sticky silk against his skin.
Spinning Bardolf to face him, he slammed the silver stake in his fist straight through the heart. Lifting his hand, he caught the sword Dimitri threw to him and in one motion, sliced through the neck, so that the
Sange rau’s
head rolled onto the shifting floor.
At once the fire spiders leapt on that as well, covering the head until there was only a sea of moving spiders and fiery flames and Bardolf was swallowed beneath them.
“We have to go fast,” Tatijana said.
She stuck her arm into the web and Branislava did so as well. A narrow opening appeared. Both men shifted and streamed through. The women shifted as well and all four moved through the chambers as fast as possible until they came to the lava tube, their only exit.
Whatever evil had been awakened below them had roused the creatures inside the tube. They could hear the bats squeaking in alarm.
We have no choice,
Fen said.
Tatijana and Branislava looked at one another. Their hands went up simultaneously.
Spiders, spiders of crystal ice, spin your web of strongest light. Spin and dance, surround and form, prevent these creatures from doing us harm.
Tiny white spiders swarmed up the tube, spinning crystalline silk, all the way up the cylinder in one continuous web of light. The inside of the tube began to glow as the spiders spun and danced, more and more slipping out of cracks to join in a glorious display of shocking light. The creatures couldn’t stand the light and wailed, moving back hastily into their dens.
Quick, the effects won’t last long, but Bronnie says they can’t see when the light is so bright. We have to hurry,
Tatijana advised.
Fen went first. As he rose, he could see into the darker holes where the creatures resided. Bits of bone and fur and dark blood stained the entryways and walls inside the honeycombed dwellings. He streamed past, knowing speed mattered this time, not finesse.
Tatijana followed close behind him and Branislava was on her heels. Dimitri brought up the rear. The moment they were all out, Fen and his brother both turned back to lean over the tube. Already the light was fading and the bats began to swarm up the tube after their prey.
Fen and Dimitri together waved their hands and murmured a firm command.
“Go, run. The moment you’re out, get in the air fast and away from here,” Fen snapped.
The women didn’t argue; both streaked through the narrow tunnel back to Bardolf’s cave and then out into the open air. They leapt straight up, shifting as they did, the two dragons banking and then, wings flapping hard, shooting out of the mist.
Fen and Dimitri followed them, practically on their heels. Behind them, the world blew apart. The lava tube detonated, a fiery blast that shook the entire mountain. The shock waves from the explosion followed them through the caves, blowing a hole just to the side of Bardolf’s chosen lair.
Fen and Dimitri flung themselves skyward, shifting as they did. The concussion sent both of them reeling through the air and out of the mist as if the mountain threw them away. Tatijana raced back, her dragon diving beneath Fen, while Branislava managed to seat Dimitri on her fire dragon.
I’m ready for a long sleep in the ground again,
Branislava said.
Your adventures are very exciting, but too much of a good thing is exhausting.
Fen had to agree with her.
18
F
en wrapped his arm around Tatijana. Branislava was safely beneath the earth, well fed and ready for sleep. Dimitri’s wound had been attended to. He’d been given blood and he, too, was in the ground rejuvenating. Tatijana and Fen walked through the forest—their favorite place—and just breathed in the crisp air. He knew she’d been traumatized all over again entering the ice caves and he didn’t want her to go to ground until they had talked it out.