"Maybe." Mavis grinned, trying hard to hide her true fear. "What's there to see?"
Rapiarre made a corkscrew move on his latest pass. "Castles of crystal. Lakes of molten gold. Forests of fire and ice."
Mavis shrugged. "That's it?"
Rapiarre's laughter burbled in the strange, fizzing atmosphere. "There's much more, my darling. Did I mention the cities of the Lampreyus? My people?"
There are cities full of these things?
"No casinos, huh?" said Mavis.
"Everything you need is right here." Rapiarre's smile darkened, and he circled closer. "Your entire life has been leading up to this moment."
Mavis knew what was coming, what had to happen next. She looked around for some weapon to defend herself but found nothing.
"Here's an idea," said Mavis. "Why not get to know a girl before you go all the way?"
Rapiarre stopped swimming and hung suspended just a few yards from Mavis. "But that would be like talking to a glass of wine," he said. "Why bother?"
Mavis took a step back and bumped into the altar. Time to play one last card.
"It's not too late to change," she said. "Let me tell you about Jesus Christ."
"I've already been born again," said Rapiarre. "Let me show you how it happened."
With that, he suddenly lunged at her.
Mavis ducked under the altar, barely escaping Rapiarre's grasp. Peeking through a slot between the slab and base, she saw him wriggle around for another charge.
He knows where I am! He'll get me this time!
But what could she do? Her only option, other than hiding under the altar, was to run for it...and she didn't have much hope of outrunning him in the thick atmosphere.
Through the slot in the altar, Mavis watched Rapiarre flash toward her, clawed hands extended. Then, he shot up out of view.
A heartbeat later, the Lampreyus dropped down beside her, upside-down and grinning. Mavis screamed.
"Don't be afraid, my love," said Rapiarre, touching her cheek with one ice-cold finger. "This is a gift."
Mavis cringed, squeezing herself into as tight a ball as she could. Anything to protect her throat from those fangs.
"This is holy." Rapiarre swung down right side up to face her, obsidian eyes glittering. "I will raise you from the dead. You will learn the true depth of your faith."
He leaned closer and licked his lips. "You will learn the true power of my love."
Mavis was seized by the urge to lash out, to do anything in a last-ditch desperate effort to save herself. She willed her muscles to bolt into action...but they wouldn't cooperate.
I'm paralyzed.
Rapiarre's forked black tongue snaked out and slithered around Mavis' lips. When his tongue slipped past her lips and fluttered around inside her mouth, Mavis wanted to gag.
But she couldn't move a muscle.
Rapiarre withdrew his tongue and nuzzled the side of Mavis' face. "So sweet," he whispered in her ear. "So juicy."
Then, his head slid down between her neck and shoulder. Purring like a cat, he lapped at a spot on the side of Mavis' throat.
This is it. He's going to turn me into a vampire.
And Mavis couldn't even scream or shut her eyes against the impending nightmare.
*****
Chapter 24
Rapiarre licked Mavis' throat for what seemed like the hundredth time. By then, the panic had built up inside her to such a peak that she was ready to jump out of her skin.
Just get it over with!
As if in response to her thought, Rapiarre stopped purring and licking. "And now we join as one, my beloved," he whispered.
Then, she felt him draw back, and she heard him hiss. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his mouth snap open wide, exposing fangs and rows of jagged teeth.
Oh my God! Here it comes!
Then, suddenly, Rapiarre sprang away from her in a fizzing, glittering cloud of atmosphere.
What now? Still toying with me?
But as Mavis regained the ability to turn her head, she saw that Rapiarre hadn't left her on his own. He'd been forcibly removed...and the remover was not yet done with him.
A giant of a man, seven feet tall and bursting with muscle, had his hands locked around Rapiarre's slender neck.
The Lampreyus pried at the man's hands with his claws, but they wouldn't let go. He thrashed the man with his blue-scaled tail, but the man wouldn't flinch.
"She's mine!" Rapiarre's voice was a pinched-off squeal. "You can't have her!"
The man's deep laugh boomed through the cavern. "What did you say, little leech?" Suddenly, the man wrenched Rapiarre's neck hard to one side.
Mavis heard a loud crack, and Rapiarre went limp.
"That's what I thought you said." The man had an English accent. He tossed aside Rapiarre like a rag doll and grinned down at Mavis. "He apologized for causing offense."
Mavis just wanted to shrink back into the altar and hide. As the man stepped toward her, though, she began to feel at ease.
The closer he came, the more she could see how handsome he was. His wavy red hair spilled over his shoulders, and his bushy red beard draped over his chest. Through all that foliage, his emerald eyes gleamed with fierce intensity; his hawkish nose and squared-off cheekbones looked as if they'd been chipped from flint.
He wore a long, brown shirt of rough cloth, tied at the waist with a length of rope. His pants were lighter brown in color, also rough, and he wore a pair of sandals on his feet. All together, the clothes looked to Mavis like a peasant's outfit from a fantasy movie.
But he wore them with authority. He radiated confidence and power.
He gave her the feeling that he was someone special.
"I'm Arthur." He reached for her. "And you're...?"
"Mavis." She took his hand, and he helped her to her feet. "Thanks for the rescue, Arthur."
"Good thing I happened by." Arthur hiked a thumb in Rapiarre's direction. "He was a bad one. A real troublemaker."
"Like I said, thanks." Mavis smiled.
"So what brings you to Lyonesse, Mavis?" said Arthur. "We don't see many strangers around here, you know."
"It's kind of a long story," said Mavis. "You haven't come across some friends of mine, have you? A guy with silver hair and a woman with black hair?"
"You're expecting friends?" Arthur grinned. "I love having visitors."
At that instant, Mavis froze.
This time, it wasn't because of an outside force. The only thing mesmerizing her was what she saw in Arthur's mouth.
Namely, fangs.
Blood for Arthur.
Now I get it.
*****
Chapter 25
"Not again," said Mavis.
"What? What is it?" Arthur looked confused.
Okay, play it cool now, Pastor.
Mavis shook her head. "Oh, nothing. Just remembered something I forgot to do."
"I see." Arthur nodded. "Well, I'm sorry I haven't seen your friends. I can help you look for them, though."
"Sounds good," said Mavis. "We can cover more ground if we split up."
"Not a good idea." Arthur shook his head gravely. "Lyonesse is infested with Lampreyus like Rapiarre. You wouldn't last five minutes out there alone."
And that's worse than being alone in here with you?
"Then you can look out there," said Mavis. "And I'll look in here."
"You'll be safe with me." Arthur reached for Mavis' shoulder.
And she stepped back out of his grasp.
"What's wrong?" Arthur frowned at her with deep concern. "Why do you shy away from me?"
Then, Arthur either had a divine inspiration or just realized that Mavis couldn't stop staring at his fangs. His eyes lit with understanding, and he nodded slowly.
"Ahhh." Arthur tapped one of his fangs. "It's these, isn't it?"
Mavis shrugged. "I say live and let live. I just want to find my friends and go home."
"You have nothing to fear from me
," said Arthur. "Unlike the soulless Lampreyus, I am a man of honor."
"Good for you." Mavis shook her fist in the air supportively. "Yay, honor."
Run for it. Get out of here while you still can.
"I've sworn a sacred oath," said Arthur. "I shall only take the blood of another if it is given freely. This is an oath that I have never broken."
"I'm glad to hear that." Mavis casually stepped to one side, eyeing her escape route past Arthur. Serpentine Rapiarre had been too fast for her, but she thought she could outrun big, muscle-bound Arthur.
It was a long way to the arched opening in the far wall of the cavern, but Mavis wasn't just going to stand around and wait for a bite.
"You don't believe me." Arthur sighed. "I guess I'll have to earn your trust."
Time to go. Do it before he freezes you.
Mavis' heart pounded, and the blood rushed in her ears. "What's that over there?" she said, pointing across the cavern in the opposite direction from the exit.
"Where?" Arthur looked in the direction in which she pointed.
While Arthur's back was turned, Mavis sprinted away from the altar. She hurdled Rapiarre's dead body and bolted toward the exit, arms and legs pumping like pinwheels.
She didn't hear Arthur's footsteps in pursuit, but she couldn't really hear anything over her own noisy footfalls and breathing.
As Mavis darted toward the dim light of the exit archway, she thought she might make it. Once she got outside, she could lose Arthur and get to safety...assuming, of course, that he'd lied about the place being infested with Lampreyus.
No lie! No lie!
When Mavis was just a few yards from the archway, a blue face popped around the corner in front of her.
Lampreyus!
Mavis skidded to a stop. Flailing her arms, she spun around to change course...and slammed face-first into Arthur's chest.
At which point, Arthur threw her away.
Without breaking stride, he grabbed her shoulders and tossed her aside. As Mavis tumbled to the glittering ground, she saw him hoist something from a long sheath hung at the back of his rope belt.
A sword.
Before the Lampreyus could dart away, Arthur swung the sword high and brought it down in a shimmering blur. It seemed to pass through the creature's throat as if intangible, without doing any damage.
But a split-second after the sword passed, the Lampreyus' head followed it down. The creature's headless body dropped a second after that.
Arthur swept the sword back up with a flourish and held it high as he turned in a circle. When no further threats presented themselves, he swirled the blade through the atmosphere in a figure eight and shot it back into the scabbard on his belt.
"I told you so." Arthur leaned down and reached for Mavis. "Lots of Lampreyus around."
Instead of taking his hand, Mavis got up on her own and took a step toward the archway.
"Mavis, no," said Arthur. "Don't go out there."
She took another step, and then Arthur leaped at her. Before she could get away, he clamped his powerful hands around her upper arms, holding her in place.
That's it. I'm dead.
Arthur smiled, baring his fangs. "We need to have an understanding."
"Yes, we do," said another voice, one that was new to the cavern.
But not new to Mavis.
As Arthur let go of her and turned, Mavis got a good look at the newcomer. As soon as she saw Stanza's face, a wave of relief rushed through her.
"What took you so long?" said Mavis.
"What are you talking about?" said Stanza. "We went through the portal a minute after you did."
"It's been hours," said Mavis.
Stanza frowned. "There must have been some kind of time delay in the portal. We did notice a slight color shift just before we went through."
"Next time, I'll wait a minute before I follow you," said Mavis. "See how you like it."
"It's not like I knew there'd be a delay." Stanza shrugged. "The last time I was here, I came through alone."
Jonah stepped out from behind Stanza. "Glad you're okay, Mavis. Who's this?"
Before Mavis could answer, Stanza stepped forward and bowed. "Greetings, Arthur," she said. "It is an honor to be in your presence once more."
What the heck?
Meeting Jonah's gaze, Mavis raised her upper lip and tapped her canine teeth. Then, she bit down emphatically.
Jonah's eyes widened. Mavis knew he'd gotten the message.
Arthur is a vampire.
Not that Stanza seemed to care. Head bowed, she dropped to one knee in front of Arthur.
"My lord," she said. "What gifts we possess are yours. Do with us as you will."
Arthur turned and smiled at Mavis. "I thought you'd never ask," he said as he reached toward her.
*****
Chapter 26
Jonah hesitated to help Mavis, intimidated by Arthur's million muscles and seven foot height...not to mention the fact that he was a vampire.
And is that a sword in a scabbard he's got there?
As Arthur made a grab for Mavis' arm, Jonah finally decided to move. He gulped down a deep breath and fought to subdue his chickenshit tendencies. He and Mavis had promised to watch each other's backs; he had to try to help her now.
Even if it was suicide going up against someone like Arthur. Even if Jonah had no clue what he could even do that would have the slightest impact on such a behemoth.
I'll do it. I'm going to help her.
Any minute now, I swear.
Before Jonah could work up the courage he needed to move, however, the crisis passed.
Suddenly, Arthur stopped reaching for Mavis and burst into laughter.
"I'm sorry," Arthur said between laughs. "I couldn't resist. You set me up for that one, Stanza."
Mavis and Jonah exchanged a look of complete confusion.
What's going on here?
"Please, rise." Arthur gestured for Stanza to get up off her knee. "And tell your friends they have absolutely nothing to fear from me."
"They're new to this," Stanza said as she got to her feet. "Forgive them, my lord."
"I'm afraid Mavis here has had a rough time of it," said Arthur. "She was attacked by two Lampreyus."
Mavis glared at Arthur. "Don't forget the third attack," she said. "In other words, you."
Arthur chuckled. "They don't know who I really am, do they?" he said to Stanza.
Stanza ignored the question. "We've come to visit the garden. Will you help us?"
"You don't even have to ask," said Arthur. "Not after all we've been through together."
Mavis moved over beside Jonah, but he didn't look at her right away. He was too busy staring at Arthur, trying to figure him out.
If we don't know who he really is, then who is he?
"Follow me." Arthur threw an arm around Stanza's shoulders and headed for the exit archway. "This way to the Garden of Tears."
*****
Chapter 27
Was it the constant screeching of what sounded like a million unseen creatures?
Was it the flocks of fish-tailed ghouls slithering through the bright red sky?
Was it the moaning crystalline trees or the turkey-sized dragonflies or the tyrannosaurs trotting across the distant, shivering plains?
Jonah wasn't sure what part of Lyonesse blew his mind the most.
Wish I had a camera.
As Jonah followed Arthur and the others across the wild landscape, he halfway couldn't believe the place was real. The thought crossed his mind that it was a dream or hallucination...or maybe he was dead.
Whatever it was, he was glad he wasn't stuck there alone. It didn't seem like a friendly kind of place.
If I'm dead, I'm pretty sure this isn't Heaven.
"Stay close," said Arthur, leading the way into a stretch of thick, red jungle. "If anything talks to you, don't answer."
Seconds later, as if on cue, a deep voice with a British accent spoke from som
ewhere near Jonah. "I'll grant you three wishes. Special low sale price today."
When Jonah turned in the direction of the voice, he saw a red-and-green-striped snake wrapped around a low branch, staring back at him with human blue eyes.
Don't answer.
Jonah picked up his pace, and it was just as well. He heard something thrashing in the brush back where he'd been walking just a moment ago.
"Here we are," said Arthur, striding into an open space beyond the jungle. "Home sweet home."
Jonah rushed into the clearing and stopped. "Holy shit."
"You can say that again," said Mavis.
What a castle.
Walls and towers of glittering white stone rose from the jungle floor to great heights, magically free of clinging vines or vegetation. Domes and spires topped the towers, gleaming gold and silver in the flickering sunlight. Statues of knights in armor stood at intervals around the parapets, folded arms clasping swords of real metal to their chests.
This place is huge.
It had its share of defenses, too. The outer walls were windowless, and the windows in the high towers were barred. Sharp spikes jutted from every spire and parapet, pointing skyward. A wooden drawbridge sealed the arched front doorway, the only means of crossing the broad, scarlet moat encircling the castle.
"Not bad," said Mavis.
"I'll say." Jonah couldn't stop gaping. He'd never been so close to a real castle before...and this didn't look like it was just any castle.
"Thanks." Arthur stomped across the clearing to the edge of the moat. He drew his sword, jabbed its point in the bank, and turned it.
Almost immediately, the drawbridge started to descend.
"Cool," said Jonah.
The drawbridge landed with a loud thump. Arthur had already clomped halfway across before the rest of the group set foot on the heavy boards.
By the time Jonah reached the other side of the drawbridge, Arthur had disappeared into the shadows inside the castle.
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