by Dale Mayer
"Just got a text in. He's locked inside some weird mausoleum of a house with self-locking doors up in the hills."
Serus's face darkened. "I might know the place. Let's go." He turned to Rhia. "You and David drive. I don’t want all of us arriving from the same direction. Just in case."
"I'm coming. You can’t go alone. Mom and David can drive. And we’ll probably still beat them. What about Seth? Can he come? He’s a great glider."
"He's been called out on an emergency at work. At the time there was no reason to keep him home. Tessa, honey, you can't jump again. You have to be exhausted!"
At the reminder, Tessa could feel her muscles screaming, especially her upper thighs. "I'm sore, but I'm not injured." She tapped her foot impatiently. "All right already. Let's go."
She raced inside the house for a quick visit to the bathroom. At the last moment she folded a swatch of toilet paper and stuffed in her pocket. Better to be prepared and all that. Exiting via the kitchen, she stuffed her pockets full of granola bars and hooked an apple and banana from the fruit bowl on the counter. The banana she peeled and scarfed down as she walked back outside. The apple she stuffed into another pocket.
"Your father just suggested that we all drive."
Tessa shook her head. "If we drive, Goran might miss us. He can track us much better if we're airborne."
Serus paused in the act of getting into the front seat of the family Land Cruiser. "Damn. She's right, Rhia. We're going to have to jump to make sure we don't miss them."
"Serus, no. She can't go out again. You know she doesn't have the strength or endurance for this..."
Tessa never heard the rest of the complaint. Instead she took a running jump to the top of the fir at the back of the property. "Coming, Dad?"
"Serus?" Rhia wailed.
Tessa watched her father land gracefully a few branches down from her. "Think you're so smart do you? Well, I've still got a few tricks to teach you. Let's go." He hopped to the top of a large telephone pole and gracefully ran on the wires to the next one. Within seconds he'd reached the middle of the next block.
"Well, are you coming or not? You don't want them to beat us, do you?" he called back softly.
"Hell, no." But Tessa still had her work cut out for her as she watched her father glide ahead of her. Damn it. How did he do that? By the end of the fourth block she realized she'd forgotten to switch her vampire vision on. With that open and functioning, her ability to judge the distances smoothed out and she landed easier and could take off faster. A giggle escaped. Two nights ago, she'd have sworn that she'd never be pole hopping with dear ole dad. Yet here she was.
Her giggle turned to laughter as she managed the next three horizontal jumps more smoothly yet again. Now she felt like she was flying.
"Hey, that's not bad. Maybe you just needed to get in some practice."
She stopped to catch her breath one pole away from him. "And I needed to switch to vampire vision." Their voices carried easily in the evening air.
"You really have to turn it off and on? Why not just leave it on all the time?"
"Because I can't see in daylight with my vampire vision and human vision gives me a longer viewing distance."
"It's better?" He reared back, obviously shocked at the concept.
"Not better – different." She took a bite of her apple while she thought about that. "The colors are stronger with vampire eyes and I have better peripheral vision with my human sight." She shrugged. "When I open them both at the same time, I see so much more."
"There's your answer then." He floated to the next pole. "Keep them both on all the time."
For the next while, it took all of Tessa's energy to keep up with her father. He'd picked up the pace as they came to the end of the poles and moved cross country toward the mountains. Treetops to roofs to sheds to high voltage stations. That last one had made her gulp. Still, after watching him barely touch before floating onward, she decided to not think about it and just followed his lead.
After another ten minutes, she glanced back, surprised to see that not only was the house long gone, but so was town. They'd covered miles already. The air had chilled, too. Her jumping style had changed as well. Without realizing it, Tessa had started to copy yet another smooth move of her father's. He touched a bough, then slipped off to the next tree, landing and gathering energy, without expending energy from a full stop.
She couldn't ignore a sense of pride at his moves – or with her ability to keep up with him. She might not have his skills, gracefulness, or experience. However, she was making up for all three with sheer guts and determination. Her crab walk had developed to something that was similar to her father’s moves but with a style all her own. That had to count for something.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Tessa had to admit that once again she'd misjudged her abilities. Fatigue made her legs shake and her landings were no longer graceful. More like firewood hitting cement.
"Come on over here. We’ll take a quick break."
She couldn’t hide the relief on her face when she landed beside her dad. "How much further?"
"Not. The house should be in the next half mile. I just want to make sure you understand that things could get dicey, depending on what we find when we get there."
"I didn't choose it, Dad, but once trouble came calling––"
"Don’t think that I don't appreciate the determination and the courage you’ve shown. I just wish the reason was different."
"I do, too. Now shouldn't we finish this last half mile?"
He just stared at her and shook his head.
"What? You don't want Mom to beat us, do you?"
"Hell, no. She'd never let me live it down."
Tessa grinned. The competitiveness between her parents had provided many funny moments over the years.
"Then lead off."
He glared at her and took off in a smooth glide.
Alone, she allowed herself a moment of weakness. Just one. Then, digging deep, she followed at a slower pace. They reached their destination short moments after. She landed on the roof of a huge house that sat in complete darkness, hidden by large trees. Sunlight would have a hard time reaching this place.
What a perfect vampire house. Many of her vampire relatives had similar places on the edge of town, only not as imposing or as large.
"Quite the place." Tessa couldn't help admiring the sheer size of the mansion.
"Yeah. It's been in Moltere's family forever. I can't sense him here at all."
"Did he live alone? Have a family?" Tessa asked.
"He lost his partner over a century ago. To my knowledge he never did find another one. As for children…there were some. I can't say I remember the details. Suppose I should have kept track. ‘Understand thy enemy’ and all that. We all just tried to forget that he'd even existed."
"Until now." Tessa walked the large roof looking for vehicles, or any sign of occupants. "I'm not sure anyone is here at all. Could Cody be anywhere else?"
"Possibly." Serus walked to the one end and stared off in the distance. "Those headlights should be your mother’s."
"So, we did beat them."
"Of course." The two exchanged smirks. Triumphant partners.
Tessa's frown dropped away. There'd been no triumph for Jared yet. Or Cody. And Cody was here because he had helped her, believed in her when no one else did. She walked to the edge of the roof and looked down. "So now what? Go in through the front door?"
"How else?"
Tessa pointed. "Through the decks, maybe. An element of surprise, just in case."
He joined her at the edge, glanced at the deck she'd pointed out and nodded in surprise. "Not bad."
They landed softly and tried the glass knobs on the French doors. Both opened easily.
"Guess no one’s worried about intruders, huh?" Tessa peered inside.
"They’re open because who is there for Moltere to be concerned about? He’s the one that used to cause all the trouble.
"
Serus had walked through what appeared to be an office and out into the main upstairs hallway while he spoke. Tessa followed, awestruck at the grandest house she’d ever been in. "Wow," she whispered at the size of oil paintings covering the large walls. The ceilings were vaulted and covered in fancy scrolls.
The upper hallway was edged by a beautiful railing. When she looked over it, she could see all the way down. Magnificent, yet a little cold. The house was so vast it should have been filled with kids and staff. Laughter and conversation should echo throughout – instead, it felt empty. Unloved.
Her father walked the upstairs hallway and opened four doors, checking for signs of life in each room. Nothing. She waited for him to join her. "Down a level?"
"Yes. I’d like to be on the main floor before the rest of the family gets here."
"Right."
They moved like clockwork going from floor to floor, checking every room. Nothing. At the main floor there was a huge entranceway. Footprints in the dust shone in the moonlight. Tessa pointed them out. "Cody's energy is on those. So they are here somewhere."
"Let’s go." Leading the way into the kitchen, they checked every door and room they passed. Nothing. At the kitchen, there were many confusing footprints. Tessa pointed to one door on the side. "That probably leads to the basement."
"And the last place we have to check."
Tessa moved toward the door. "I don’t think we should both go down. Remember last time?" She turned the knob. "It’s locked."
"That’s likely where they’ll be then."
She tested the knob. "We need to open this. But quietly in case anyone is here." She turned to face him. "Can I have your credit card? I want to try and use it to unlock the door."
"What? Why?"
The look he shot her would have been priceless under different circumstances. Most vampires had picked up the human monetary system, as it was simple and effective. Now that so many vampires had turned to business, it was also convenient. He pulled out his wallet and handed her his Gold Visa. She sighed, turning it over in her hand. Too bad they weren’t shopping. She could do some serious damage to this card.
She’d never tried this trick herself, but had overheard David telling Cody how to do it.
Bright lights swept through the living room and hallway.
Tessa froze.
"That’ll be your mom. I’ll go get her. When this is all over, we’re going to have a talk about you and locks, young lady."
"No problem. As long as David is part of the conversation."
Tessa bent over the lock. What had he said? Something about slipping the card between the door and wall, turn the handle ever so slightly and…snick, the door opened.
"Wow, wow and triple wow," she whispered. Pocketing the precious card, she pulled the door open and flicked the light switch. She stared down at the incredibly long narrow staircase. She could hear her parents talking as they approached.
"Where’s Tessa?" her mom demanded.
"She’s trying to pick the lock on the basement door."
"She’s what?" Tessa cringed at the outrage in her mother’s voice. "How could she possible know such a thing?"
"Oh, we’ll find out; don’t you worry."
"Like I'm going to wait for that," Tessa muttered. As her parents rounded the corner, Tessa stormed down the stairs. The stairs that went on forever.
"Hey, wait up." David raced down behind her. "What’s the panic?"
She didn’t bother turning around. "Them. Always thinking I’m a baby."
"Huh, I think you blew that out of the water a day ago when you insisted on going after your friend."
"What?" Tessa paused at a landing and waited for him to catch up with her. She couldn’t see anything below her but more stairs. "They always act like I don’t know anything."
"I’m sure most parents would think their kids don’t know how to pick a lock." He paused to catch his breath. "By the way, how did you learn to do that?"
She smirked. "I overheard you and Cody talking about it." She raced off down the stairs. "These steps need to end soon. We have to be hundreds of feet under the ground." She finally came to the last stair. "Any news from Cody?"
"No. I haven’t heard back from any texts I sent. Either he can’t or… he can’t."
"If he’s here, we’ll find him. And if he's not here, we'll still find him…but somewhere else."
David jumped the last couple of stairs to land beside her. "This place looks empty."
"Empty doesn’t mean empty anymore." She quickly filled him in on the floor from the other house that had dropped away and the stone wall that had lifted and let the water rush in. "I’m certainly learning that vampires are a devious lot."
"How do you think we stayed at the top of the food chain for so long?"
"Great." She grimaced. "Let’s check this level out."
Ten minutes later, they’d circled once, looking for obvious rooms, hallways, any way forward. Nothing.
"They’re not here."
"Maybe and maybe not." Tessa focused, or maybe defocused was a better way to describe the blending of her two types of visions, to discern the energy patterns on the floor. Five minutes of searching high and low and …nothing. "You're right. There's nothing here."
"Let’s go tell Mom and Dad."
Tessa looked up the long set of stairs and sighed. "I’m going to jump it if it’s all right with you."
"Go for it. I’ll run."
Tessa snorted. "Now that sounds like work." She took a jump and then another and another, going up more steps each time. She stopped on the landing where she’d waited for David earlier. She was gathering her energy for the next jump when something caught her eye. She spun around then crouched at the bottom of the back wall.
Energy. Pale, misty energy slunk around the bottom edge. From that position, she searched the stairs in both directions. Cody's energy had gone this far, but no further. "Someone was here."
David raced up to her. "What did you find?"
"Cody stopped here. There's another energy mixed with his. Probably Jewel's."
"Here? Then where is he?"
Tessa ran her hands over the stone walls, searching for that telltale crevasse. Yes. The door ran the full length of the landing. "There’s a door here."
"What? Where?"
She grabbed David’s hand and showed him the cracks delineating the break in the stone pattern. "Somehow, this must move."
"You think Cody is behind it?"
"Someone is – or was, at least."
"Let’s get it open then."
They bent their heads, searching for any mechanism to trigger the opening.
"David? Tessa?" her father’s voice called down the long stairwell.
Tessa lifted her head. "Dad, we’re down here on the landing. Looks like another hidden door."
"We’re coming down."
"No, don’t do that. If we’re all stuck down here we won’t be able to get out."
"Your mother is going to stay up here." A heavy whoosh and Serus landed beside them. "So what did you find?" he asked.
Tessa frowned. "Not sure. The energy is sitting down at the crack. We found a break in the walls as if for a door, but again, no visible latch to open it."
***
Cody sat with his head bent over his knees. He hated any sensation of weakness – he was male after all. His dad said it was from all the growth spurts and getting his wings. He’d told Cody that his strength would come back bigger, better and stronger. He hoped so. Felt like he sucked at everything right now.
Jewel lounged beside him. She'd probably dropped off to sleep. He wished he could. Worry wouldn't let him though. He could only hope David had gotten the text message. Otherwise, he had no idea how to get out of here. He closed his eyes and rested. A weird sound caught his attention.
What was that? He bolted to his feet and spun around. The stone room was empty, the same as it had been when they'd first entered. How could they hav
e known that the door would shut behind them like that?
Was he hearing voices?
He nudged Jewel awake. "I think someone's here."
She shuddered. "Good guys or bad guys?"
He grinned at the joke they'd been tossing back and forth to keep themselves entertained. To keep the panic at bay. "No idea. Maybe we should be ready for either."
"Yeah." They stood side by side, both tense and aware of the stakes. With their eyes on the wall, they waited for the door to open.
