"Sure. I'd love to, she finally said. And what's with that creepy look? You lost in thought?"
"A little bit. So, what side do we take? Mid-left or the center one."
"Hmm," she replied, pursing her lips. "How about the mid-left one? I feel a strong current coming from there for some reason."
"Now that you mention it--"
"It's settled then!" she cheered, putting her arm under mine and pulling me after her into the darkness of the catacombs. It wasn't like we couldn't see, so it didn't matter much. I did have to admit that it was creepy and I felt somewhat claustrophobic with the walls and ceiling only a foot from each side. Tierney didn't seem to matter, though.
"So, what do you think about Bran castle? It sure has a Vampyric feel to it, no?" she asked once we got in deeper into the narrow corridor.
"I could get used to staying here if no other dangers lurk inside," I replied honestly. "It needs to be repaired from the ground up. Half of the facilities are broken down and ruined. The walls need extensive repairs, but then again, that doesn't matter as much. We won't be using it as a defensive measure."
"I know, but I was just wondering what you thought about it. I like it. Especially the throne room and the wing adjacent to it."
"Oh? You've done some scouting already?"
She shrugged and shot me a sheepish smile.
"Just a little bit. There's an enormous sized bed. It can easily offer ten people comfortable sleep. If they're there to sleep in any case."
"And with you sleeping around my arm at the head of this ten people group?"
"Who knows? But that's just minor details. For now, I want to know how we're going to call our joint effort. With my people and the Serpents."
"Hmm, I haven't thought about it. But we do need a name, don't we?"
"We sure do. Come on, give me an example of what you would call us."
"Azdaha," I replied. "It's a sort of snake dragon native to this region, no?"
"Hmm, but why Azdaha?"
"Because when they see the mark of Azdaha, they will think twice before doing anything. I'm sick of this corrupt world. It needs to change. I don't know if I'll succeed, but we need to give it a try, even if it costs me my life."
We walked for a while without exchanging another word. She kept on grinning while I was getting more restless by the moment. But then we finally arrived where the crystal destroyed my shadows. The corridor started widening with each step until we finally entered a large, round room.
A faint scent of burning wood wafted from deeper within, but there was no light, not even dying embers. For some unknown reason, I couldn't see further than a few feet in. I used my shadows, but they weren't moving. It was as if a barrier had been set up to keep everyone out. I stepped in closer but was pushed back by some invisible force. Numerous crystals lit up the room, flashing brightly like explosions of light. I put my body around Tierney's on instinct and tried enclosing us in shadow, but nothing else happened.
"At least we can see now," she uttered.
"Yeah. But what kind of room is this? Why would there be light crystals under Dracul's castle?"
"I don't know, but it wasn't like the magic the Vatacan likes to use. This was-- different and not offensive. I think it's what powers this dome. Just look at the crystal's positions."
I looked around from crystal to crystal. They loosely formed an ellipse with a big belly. The left upper and lower corner were embedded into the wall at the far end, near what looked like an exit. The right side was identical to the left, while the center had four placed crystals, two in the ceiling and two in the ground. The annoying part was that I had no way to get to them as they'd been placed on the dome's inside.
"Why is it set up like that?" Tierney asked. "If it's a dead end, how did someone manage to get out after setting it up?"
"I don't know yet, but that's what I plan to find out. If such a strong barrier was put in place, then it must house something either powerful, expensive or evil," I muttered. "At least I think so."
"Yeah, or all three," Tierney whispered. I sighed and walked off to the right, observing the two crystals. The ellipse dome covered everything, not even a ray of light could pass through. But what about the draft we felt from earlier?
I backtracked to the hall and went a good thirty steps in. There it was, the draft. Where was the air coming from? Was there a hole to bring air down so whoever ended up lost didn't die right away? Or was there a passage hidden somewhere in plain sight?
"Search," I whispered after pressing my palm against the wall. A score of tendrils appeared seemingly out of nowhere and started moving around the walls, ceiling, and floor. There it was, the slightest of holes, not even five inches wide and two high. I forced my shadows inside the hole and tried to pry it open. Little by little, it gave way as stone crumbled beneath my 'assault'.
"What are you doing?" Tierney asked as she walked up to me, but then seemed to notice pieces of stone falling from the ceiling. "How the hell?"
"Shh, let me work," I replied and injected as much power as I could into it. Slowly, the gap became wider until I could put my hand inside. The draft was much stronger there, and I could feel a real current of air. With a growl, I ripped a chunk of brick free and tossed it aside. There were an audible clicking sound and the whirring of a mechanism. A single light in the room turned off, the one at the top-left casting a single shadow across the ceiling.
I grinned wickedly as I approached the dome of shimmering light, pulling back my fist and rammed it right at the part where there was no crystal. The backlash was greater than I thought possible as it threw me back against the wall, shattering my body on impact.
"You alright?" Tierney asked as she ran up to me and knelt. She put my arm over her shoulder and helped me stand. I cried out and sat back down as almost every bone in my body was being reset.
"Shit, this thing sure packs a punch," I cursed looking at the spot I hit earlier. To my surprise, it looked as if it was slightly dented. "Am I seeing things?" I asked. "Or is that dome dented?"
"Let me try it, then you go again," Tierney offered, letting go of me and taking a step back. Before I could stop her, she lunged at the dome and slammed it with both of her fists. At least she had someone to catch her after the blastwave was done throwing her around.
"Shit, this hurts," she cursed as I held her in my arms.
"No shit. But you've dented it slightly more. Come on, once I'm healed up I'll try again."
Luckily, my regeneration was working overtime to accommodate me. Once healed up again, I rushed the spot and brought my hands together against the round dome. I was knocked off my feet again, but I heard an audible crack and tearing sound.
"Hey! You've slammed it into the ground, or something! I can easily put my fist through the hole-- I think," Tierney said excitedly.
"Good. Watch and learn," I snickered. The lighting in the room changed slightly, and due to the nature of this trap, there was only one way out. I pressed my hand against the wall and summoned shadows from the corridor, then let them crawl up the ceiling and through the hole.
"And what now?" she asked. "You can't approach the crystals."
"No, but I can do this," I replied and lifted a piece of rock off the ground, then hurled it at the closest crystal. It shattered into a hundred pieces, releasing another blastwave that broke the dome from inside and destroyed all but the two furthest light crystals.
"Shit, now that's smart thinking," Tierney whistled. "I knew there had been a reason I saved your ass last year, my Lord."
"Cut it out, or I'll grind you down right here."
"Oh, no! I'm a virgin, please don't!" she mocked. I snorted and embraced the Vampyre queen. She was all I ever wanted. And even more.
"Come on, let's see what's next," I said and let go of her.
"Sure, but you go first in case something happens."
"Wouldn't have it any other way, my love," I replied and disappeared into the narrow corridor ahead. Tierney barel
y had the time to catch up with me when I entered an even greater room. There was a stench of rotting flesh and burning oil. A brazier was lit up at the center of the room, along with fourteen torches arrayed along the walls. In the far back of the room sat a throne, one made of bone and skulls. It stared back longingly as if I'd been its long-lost lover.
"Shit, this throne looks weird. It's giving off this strange, deathly feeling, Ivan. I wouldn't--"
"It's pulling me in--" I whispered taking a step at a time, one foot after the other. Murals came to life along the walls as I walked past them, burning the images into stone. I stopped and stared, first at one and then the other.
The right depicted a grand battle of a single man and woman against an army. In the background, Bran castle stood proud atop a mountain, and as what I now assumed was Dracul, faced off against the enemy. The left showed a last-ditch effort of fighting inside the castle as he held the woman tight against him in one arm while wielding his spear in the other.
"You're not the real deal anymore, are you?" I asked mentally.
"Took you long enough," Dracul replied in my mind. "I'm an afterimage. The soul is long past gone, Ivan. You should have figured it out much sooner, especially after our link and my 'power' started waning over the past weeks."
"I see. And the sacrifices barely kept you here then?"
Dracul appeared in my mind, nodding as he sat atop that same skull throne.
"If you decide to awaken to the third stage, there will be no turning back. You will have to finish the awakening, or we'll die. It's easy as that."
"So, what now? I make a pact with the demon inside the spear? With Bethrezen?"
"I can tell you once you agree on the deal. Do you agree?"
I thought about it for a long moment. If I died, it wouldn't matter that my soul might linger somewhere. If even Freya couldn't revive me, then what was the point of having a soul?
I looked up at Tierney who was at a loss for words as she just stood there, unsure of what I was doing. I shot her a reassuring smile and winked before I proceeded to take my place atop the throne.
"I agree."
Chapter Twenty
"Tierney, please go back, I have no idea what might happen once I change."
"Alright. I'll head upstairs and wait with Freya. You come out when you're done," she replied and hurriedly stepped up to me, planted a kiss on my lips and ran off. I could have imagined worse ways to go out.
I took my seat on the skull throne and sat upright, placing my hands on the arm-rests. Skull and bone. How fitting. At least I'd make a decent skull if I burned up, I thought. Or I hoped I'd make one.
"What now?" I asked. Dracul appeared before me as if he was a mirage.
"Open the small lid atop the pendant and drink the blood as you remain sitting in that throne. It isn't just ceremonial, no, it's more than that. That throne was drenched in blood by the spear. High ranking Clergy, Apex rank Supernaturals, and Humans. A lot of Humans. Now, don't get up, and do fight until you can fight no more, Ivan. Our future depends on what you manage to do."
"Wait, what about back in Zharevo? If I'd done the process back then, what would have been different?"
"Nothing but for the chance of success. In here, it's almost double of what you would have faced back at your estate. The Demon's power is partially subdued in here, so he'll be more likely to give in."
"I see. And do you have any last words? Anything on how to beat him?"
Dracul shrugged.
"Don't let him get into your mind. If he does, you've already lost."
I sighed and took the pendant off my neck, picked the small lid off the top and looked down at the bloody mixture slushing around as if it had a life of its own. I guess it did, and now it would be part of me.
"Here goes nothing," I murmured and poured the liquid down my throat. An incredible burning sensation was the first thing I felt, followed by nausea beyond comprehension. It was as if my insides were melting, my own blood and guts, my flesh, and my bones. It hit me like a sledgehammer, rocking my body back against the throne.
"Don't let him get into your mind," Dracul said one last time before he disappeared along with the world around me.
I found myself waking up atop a steep hill overlooking a scorched valley. The stench of burnt flesh and skin hung heavily in the air. I tried to close my nose and spit, but it wasn't helping. The smell passed right through my hand as I inhaled a lungful.
Rumbling laughter resounded from all around me and turned into a burst of demonic laughter. I turned around, but there was no one there. I looked down the cliff, and still, there was no one there.
"Show yourself!" I demanded as a slight tinge of fear crept up my body.
"Are you sure you want to see me?" the voice asked, booming from all around me.
"I don't think you can really afford to piss me off, Demon. You need this as much as I do!"
"Hah! I'm fine just being here for the last thousand years! Trapped in a fucking pendant without a way out!"
"How about we make a deal?" I asked, trying to get the upper hand with offering first.
"I wouldn't have it any other way, but what is it that you have in mind?" Bethrezen sneered. I could feel the contempt and hatred toward someone as insignificant as me. It was light as day.
"Is it possible for you to take over my body and free yourself if I allow it?"
"Hmm, how interesting. Why would someone even think about doing that?"
"Because if I'm dead, all my friends and women will be dead anyway. Speaking of which, you wouldn't be allowed to harm anyone of them."
"Oh? And how would you stop me?"
"I wouldn't. But our agreement would."
Bethrezen snorted before he appeared right before me in all his black-red glory. He stood easily twenty feet tall, with legs six feet wide and a barrel chest that ended up in broad, massive shoulders. His metallic black skin glistened in what little light there was, streaked with blotches of red trailing down his body as if blood residue.
"You sure look very much as I'd imagined, Bethrezen."
"I know. After all, I ruled Demonkind a long time ago."
"And what about Humanity? Have you ever tried putting them down?"
He shrugged and sat down beside me, turning much smaller so the cliff could support his weight.
"I want Humanity dead; you got that right. But without an army, I wouldn't be able to conquer your world. There are too many strong entities down there."
"Right. But what about this. If I'm to die, and there's no way out of it, we agree that you can take over my body and be reborn through me."
"Hmm, you're far more willing to get my help than him. Why is that? What do you want to achieve with his power? What are you going to do once you become the new Dracul?" Bethrezen asked curiously. Seeing him in his smaller form made me feel much more at ease, even though it didn't mean anything at all.
"I want to destroy the Vatacan and all the bad people. I want to create a world that will be a paradise for me and my women, my followers, and those who will worship me."
"Is that so?" he grinned. Two rows of sharp, rending teeth smiled back at me as he spoke. "In that case, I should be more willing to cooperate, no? Oh, you Humans always know how to surprise me. The first wanted revenge on those who killed his loved ones, and you want to destroy most of your own species."
"We do much worse than good, Bethrezen. You're a demon, it's your nature to be evil, but not for us. We choose to be evil."
"You could look at it that way. Very well, I'll help you. I'll grant you my power under one condition," he grinned.
"And that is?"
"You give up on your soul right away. No if's and but's."
I thought about it, long and hard. There was no good or bad choice. In the end, death awaited me one way or another, and when I died, it was over. I would be forgotten by both friends and allies. But once I was dead, I wouldn't care anymore.
"No, I decline," I said suddenly, no id
ea what had come over me. "You and I will bind our souls together. You and I will become one, and I will serve you as a bridge into this world. What do you say, Bethrezen?"
"Hmm," he replied as his eyes stared down at me intently. "What does this mean for me?"
"Simple. I die, you die."
"Hah! You fool! Why would I ever bother agreeing to that? You insult me!"
"No! I do not! Remember what I told you minutes ago? If we see there's no way for me to get out of it and that I'm going to die for certain, this body becomes yours."
"For a few whole seconds until we're killed," Bethrezen snickered.
"Not necessarily. If you're as strong as Dracul led me to believe, shouldn't you be able to unleash hell on our world if you'd gain such a powerful body as mine?"
He frowned and lowered himself again.
"Possibly. How about you let me try? For a moment?"
"And how do I know that you'll give me back my body?" I asked. He shrugged.
"Trust goes both ways," he replied as his lips curled up in a sneer.
"Won't do. You'll get a taste of something forbidden and will try to take over when given a chance. Never mind. We do it your way. I sign up my soul after death."
"Very well, Ivan. This sure is anticlimactic after such an offer and barter, but suit yourself. I'll wait for my time."
"Good. How do I summon the spear?"
"Just imagine it in your mind, and it will be there. Be careful, I can destroy nations in that form if the user is powerful enough. Don't abuse the weapon, as it puts a high toll on your body."
"Wouldn't have thought any less of you. Now, are we done here?"
"Not so fast. Pray to tell me, why aren't my mind games working on you? Even Dracul had trouble keeping me from his thoughts and his desires."
I shrugged and smiled in turn.
"Hatred and lust for revenge can take one really far, but longing for something even further. You see, I have a son. I plan to go after him very soon, and therefore I need you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone this way, not yet at least."
Lord of Shadows book 2: Bloodlines Page 15
