It helped but only a little. Energy crackled in the air, something both similar to and different from what I felt in Zav’s presence.
Shaking my head, I focused on the chain on the floor. I was here to free the dwarf and end the brothers’ ability to do business.
The chain did not lead to the orb as I had expected. Instead, it ran under the orb and to the wall at the far side of the chamber, a dead-end wall. I hadn’t found another exit, so the mystery of how the vault door—and the orb for that matter—had gotten down here would remain.
The chain ran up the wall and into something that looked so mundanely like a fuse box that I almost laughed. Had the shifters picked it up at Home Depot? But no, this fuse box oozed power. It was barely noticeable with the massive sun of an orb throwing off magical energy in front of it, but it had a slightly different feel. I was looking at two different magical artifacts.
Too bad I had to go around one to get to the other.
Warily, I skirted the orb, sticking as close to the wall as I could. By now, it was obvious that the closer I got, the stronger its pull became. Even with Chopper’s help, it was hard to resist the call to creep over to it, to touch it, just for a moment…
“No,” I growled and focused on the box.
When I reached it, I prodded it with Chopper’s tip, afraid it would be as booby-trapped as the dwarf’s shackle. A zing went up my arm, but I wasn’t thrown across the chamber. I reached for it with one finger, tapping it lightly. A surge of power knocked my arm back behind my head.
It was booby-trapped in the same way. Maybe Chopper acted as an insulator.
“What happens if I thrash you with my sword?” I whispered to the box.
It didn’t answer. Before committing to that, I tried to pry open the front panel with the blade. My arm tingled the whole time and started to go numb, but I managed to flip it aside. As soon as I pulled Chopper back, the numbing tingle faded, and I could see into the box.
The chain came up through a hole in the bottom and fused with a gray metal rectangle that looked like a slab of solid steel but radiated power. It had three other places—ports?—where chains could be attached. So it could keep up to four slaves working at a time? Or had this place originally been designed for something else?
Val, Sindari spoke into my mind, we’re coming down.
Who’s we?
The dragon, the Pardus brothers, and several other panther shifters. I’m following them at a distance. They haven’t noticed me yet. Make sure your charm is activated and pray the dragon doesn’t see through it.
It was only then that I realized Sindari’s voice was loud and clear in my mind again. That meant he—and everyone he’d named—was already down here. Why did I have a feeling they hadn’t just come to look at the dwarf?
28
In a fit of desperation, I was tempted to bash at the magical fuse box with Chopper and hope it would set the dwarf free before Dob and all the shifters showed up, but that would be pointless. Grandpa Dwarf wasn’t in any shape to fight battles or go anywhere quickly. And it would alert the shifters to my presence. It was still possible they would come and go and not see me.
Maybe.
Voices sounded in the tunnel, and I flattened my back against the wall by the fuse box. With luck, the orb and its intense magic would distract them from whatever they were doing. Not looking for an intruder, I hoped.
I’d pulled the closet access panel shut after me, and the vault door had closed, so there shouldn’t be any sign down here of my presence. Unless the shifters caught my scent. But the charm should still be masking that…
“That dwarf is too comatose to even begin to make a dragon-slaying weapon,” a familiar voice said. Dob.
“He promised he could make them.” That sounded like Kurt Pardus. “Technically, the people who kidnapped him from his realm, brought him here, and sold him to us promised he could make them. But you’re right that he’s mostly only produced bullets with minor enchantments so far, but he was able to do some impressive mods on the military rifles we snagged. It’s a lot better than what that ugly troll wench we were working with before could do, but it’s still not ideal.”
“Why then do you waste my time?” Dob’s voice rang out in irritation.
“We thought you could take a look at the mechanism controlling him.”
The shifters and Dob came into view in the tunnel, the lavender light brightening their faces.
“The Northern Pride has claimed control of this place, but we did not build it, and we’re not sure who made the original artifact, just the orb. That’s a recent upgrade to this hole.”
“You got that right.” That was Otto.
“If you can alter the dwarf’s controller,” Kurt said, “maybe he can make the kind of sword or bullets you want. Then we can make a fortune selling real dragon-slaying weapons.”
“Are you not making a fortune selling fake ones to idiots who do not know better?” Dob’s voice oozed disdain.
“We’ve made some, yes, but we could make so much more if we had legit goods. We’ll cut you in.”
“I care nothing for your grubby peddling of wares. I want only one thing.”
It occurred to me for the first time that Dob had come here hoping to find an advantage he could use against Zav. He’d almost gotten his ass handed to him in the water-treatment facility, even with his tricks and trying to use me, so he knew he needed help to kill him.
My grip tightened around Chopper. I wanted to plow my blade into his vile heart.
“Well, there’s the control box over there.” Kurt pointed, almost right at me.
“We’ll let you play with the orb while you’re here.” Otto was shirtless again, rubbing his chest as he gazed at the floating artifact.
As I scooted soundlessly away from the fuse box, Otto chuckled and trotted to the orb and flattened his chest to its pulsing purple side. He laid his cheek against it, his eyes pointing right toward my section of the wall, but he didn’t see me. I doubted he would have seen me even if I hadn’t had the charm. His mouth opened and his head fell back as orgasmic pleasure contorted his features.
“Idiot,” Kurt muttered. “We’re here for business, not a mind fuck.”
I thought of the images the orb had promised me, the ones still dancing and teasing me, inviting me in, and I could imagine what was playing in the shifter’s mind, especially when his hips started moving against the orb. What was this thing? Somebody’s fancy sex toy? I remembered that it had promised me less lurid pleasures, as well, so maybe it wasn’t just about sex. But about promising vivid wish fulfillment?
“I have no interest in fondling some dark-elf scientist’s gewgaw,” Dob said.
“You’re the only one then,” Kurt said. “The Pride’s headquarters building has been empty since we let others know about our new toy.”
So, dark elves had sold or given them this orb. But why would the dark elves want to do favors for these guys? Maybe the brothers had stolen it from them after their lair had been damaged. No, a dark elf had been helping one of their minions the night of Nin’s fire. There was definitely some kind of alliance.
“It’s amazing,” Kurt continued, sending a wistful look toward the orb. Otto was still engaged with it, the lavender light glowing all around him, his body blocking enough of it to create a weird shadow on the wall. “Even dragons must like to have fun now and then.”
“You are a fool,” Dob said, “if you think any pleasure a dark elf gives you comes without a price.”
“We paid for it already. She said it was a prototype with some quirks, so they wouldn’t be able to use it.”
“I’m sure.” Dob stalked past it, not showing any interest in flattening himself to it like Otto.
Too bad. It might have been my chance to slice Chopper through his neck.
“Wait,” Kurt blurted, watching Dob approach the box. “Why is it open? We didn’t leave it open.”
One little mistake…
Dob exam
ined the interior of the box without responding. Kurt grabbed his brother and yanked him away from the orb.
“I wasn’t done yet, you bastard.”
“Did you leave the control box open?” Kurt pointed over Dob’s shoulder.
“No.”
“Then someone’s been down here.”
“Who?”
“I bet it’s that Ruin Bringer bitch.” Kurt spun toward the other shifters still in the tunnel—their gazes were all fastened on the orb. “Fan out. She could still be down here.”
He waved them into the chamber, then sprinted back down the tunnel. Otto sucked in a shaky breath and followed him. Unfortunately, the four shifters in the hall entered the chamber, two going left around the orb, two going right. Their hands shifted, growing fur and changing from fingers with fingernails to paws with long, razor-sharp claws. They swiped at the air, as if they knew I was camouflaged somewhere in there. Maybe they did. One of the shifters was the lion from the bathroom.
Sindari, I’m in a bit of a bind. I scooted out of the way the best I could, but the chamber wasn’t that large. Any second, these guys would be close enough to see through my charm.
I had to back out of the tunnel to avoid being seen. The Pardus brothers just rushed past. They’re searching the chamber with the dwarf and also the room outside the door. Do you want me to charge in and attack?
Ugh, did I? With Dob less than ten feet away fiddling with that box?
The lion shifter was almost to me, swiping his claws in the air. Hoping I wasn’t about to get myself in deeper trouble, I moved away from the wall and dropped low to crawl under the orb.
As I’d feared, its effect on me intensified. It floated only a couple of feet above my head, its pulsing power beating in sync with my heart. Not letting go of Chopper—I was positive that was the only reason I hadn’t thrown myself at the orb yet—I worked my backpack off my shoulders.
“I heard something,” someone said.
I froze. Sound was the one thing the charm didn’t hide. It was hard to imagine hearing anything over the throbs of the orb, but the shifters had ears far better than mine.
“What happens if you touch it?” one of the shifters asked. A new visitor?
“Don’t. We have to find that bitch.”
Two sets of legs came closer to me. Careful not to make any noise, I removed and opened the case holding the small spheres of the gas compound that Zoltan had made. I also pulled out four magically enhanced grenades that Nin had given me. What were the odds that they would take out this whole chamber, including the orb and the control box enslaving the dwarf?
I laid out my goods on the floor and shifted into a crouch, hair almost brushing the bottom of the orb. I struggled to keep my thoughts my own, not to let in the images of pleasure it kept promising me. Nothing had ever been harder.
Dob was still facing the control box, but two of the shifters came right up to the orb, their feet pointing toward me. Any second, they would crouch down and swipe their paws at me.
I lifted one of Zoltan’s spheres, on the verge of hurling it out and against the wall—maybe I would get lucky and even Dob would gag on the noxious gas—but neither of the shifters crouched down. They reached out and pressed their arms and their bodies to the orb. They were so close that I could have kissed their knees.
“You idiots,” one of the shifters closer to the wall said. “Not now.”
Groans of pleasure came from above.
A scream of pain echoed back down the tunnel. Had Sindari attacked?
Was that you? I asked silently.
No. You didn’t give me the command to attack. The dwarf just cried out. Nobody’s next to him.
Dob chuckled, his hand lowering from the control box.
The dwarf screamed again. Dob strode past and back into the tunnel. Maybe he would torture the dwarf until he made the weapon he wanted.
No, I vowed. He wouldn’t.
I rubbed Zoltan’s charm to activate it—I hadn’t tested it and could only pray that it worked—and flung out four of the glass spheres. They shattered as they hit the far wall.
I’m going to need your help as soon as possible, Sindari, I thought, grabbing the last two spheres and my grenades and rolling out from under the orb and away from everyone left in the chamber. I stuffed the spheres in my pocket for later.
The two shifters plastered to the orb didn’t move, but the lion shifter must have seen where the spheres had originated. He lunged under the orb and raked his claws through the spot where I’d been. His eyes widened, locking right on to me—he was close enough to see through my charm’s magic.
As I scrambled back to the wall, greenish gas wafted from the broken spheres. The lion shifter crouched to spring for me, but he broke out in coughs, his eyes tearing as if a baseball bat had slammed into his nose. His three buddies, including the two fastened to the orb, also started coughing.
“What is that stuff?”
“She’s in here,” the lion spat between coughs. He’d lost sight of me when I backed away, and his watering eyes scanned the chamber for me. “Get her!”
They swatted at the air with their claws, snot streaming from their noses and tears streaking down their cheeks.
So far, the gas didn’t bother me. With my grenades in hand, I rushed to the control box.
I couldn’t tell what Dob had done, and I didn’t care. I stuffed two grenades inside, pulled the pins, then whirled and ran around the orb, dropping the other two grenades under it. Whatever the artifact truly did, if the dark elves had made it, I was sure it was pure evil.
As I sprinted for the tunnel, I almost crashed into Kurt running back into the chamber. I was fast enough to dodge and flatten myself to the wall, but he was close enough to see through my charm. He whirled and grabbed my arm.
I slammed a palm into his nose. The blow would have flattened a normal human, but he didn’t let go as his head whipped back. He recovered with an angry snarl and raked a clawed hand at my face.
In the tight quarters, it was hard to bring my sword to bear, but I ducked his swipe and rammed my shoulder into his gut with all my strength. He slammed into the wall behind him, and his grip loosened. I twisted my wrist and tore it free, then sliced Chopper at him when he lunged at me. The blade flared blue and cut into the side of his neck, sinking in deeply.
As he screamed, the first two grenades went off.
The lavender light dimmed and went out, but before I could feel any triumph, it flared back up. Kurt, blood gushing from the side of his neck, was startled by the explosion. It gave me the opportunity to sink Chopper deep into his gut.
He roared, still not dead, and threw himself at me, but Sindari flew in from the side and crashed into him. His momentum knocked Kurt into the chamber as the third and fourth grenades blew. I had no doubt Sindari would finish off what I’d started. And I wouldn’t tell him to stop. There would be repercussions later, but if I wanted to get out of here, I couldn’t worry about killing these guys.
The lavender light went out again, this time for longer. Maybe the grenades I’d tossed right under the orb had taken it out.
I rushed down the tunnel toward the chamber with the dwarf, the faint light of Chopper guiding me as the thunderous sounds of stone cracking and snapping erupted back in the orb room. Rocks tumbled down in the tunnel behind me, and a sound like shattering glass rose over the cacophony. I hoped it was the orb being destroyed.
A snap came from right under me, and the tunnel floor shuddered. Only the dragon’s aura kept me from rushing straight out into the dwarf’s chamber. Dob was standing in there, right in front of the prisoner.
When I stepped warily out, he faced me, as if he knew exactly where I was. He probably did.
Behind me, Sindari roared, but it sounded like he was still back in the chamber. Maybe finishing off the shifters so they couldn’t get at my back while I faced Dob.
But Dob wasn’t alone. The bare-chested Otto and another shifter in tiger form stood near the
door, blocking the exit. Hell.
The vault door was open, and the sounds of weapons fire came from the house above, but I couldn’t get out without going through the two shifters. Nor could I leave the dwarf. Dob held a palm face-down toward the bearded prisoner, who was alert now, the chain at his ankle snapped, but he was writhing in pain from whatever Dob was doing to him.
I wanted to help him, but the shifters had heard my footsteps. The tiger sprang into the air toward my face.
I dove under him, turning mid-roll to twist and jam Chopper upward. I caught the tiger in the belly. He screeched and raked me with his back legs before I could jump up and get out of the way. Pain blasted my side where the claws caught me.
Otto, hearing my gasp, charged straight toward me. I yanked out Fezzik and rained fire at him. The tiger, though bleeding from a gut wound, spun and also charged at me.
Nin’s magical bullets bit into the shifters’ inhumanly tough skin. The tiger yelped, turned, and raced down the dusty tunnel, but Otto wasn’t ready to flee. He shifted into panther form, and hundreds of pounds of muscle and fang leaped at me.
Still firing, I sprang to the side, just missing another raking from savagely fast claws. My aim was true, and rounds pummeled his chest, blood spattering the earthen floor, but Otto’s rage carried him after me. I backed up until I reached a wall, then switched to Chopper to keep him at bay and strike whenever I had the opportunity. The blade was a blue blur in the air between us, metal clanging against claw and fang. Blood gushed onto the gray stone floor.
Screams of pain came from the direction of the orb chamber, followed by Sindari’s chilling roar. He still sounded busy.
One of Otto’s paws slipped through, claws extending as they swept toward my throat. I whipped my head back, but he caught my leather thong. It snapped and my charms tumbled to the floor. I lunged but only caught one. The lock-pick charm.
Otto slashed at me, taking advantage of my break in the fight. I stuffed the charm in my pocket and whipped my sword in to deflect him.
Battle Bond: An Urban Fantasy Dragon Series (Death Before Dragons Book 2) Page 25
