Turning back to the Arachne, I forced myself to speak up. “We will do it. On the condition, you help us as much as you are able and you will work together with us to escape after we succeed.”
The Arachne’s braid swung forward as she bowed her head, and I realized there were strands of web in its length. Her clicking sigh filled the room as she replied, “If you succeed, we have an agreement.”
* * *
Chapter Ten
Mathias
Walking into a chimera’s lair had to be one of the most insane things I had ever done, and that included chasing a yeti in the middle of a snowstorm. The lamassu and minotaur had reluctantly surrendered my weapons, but I still wished they hadn’t insisted on Lauren accompanying me. I would’ve preferred leaving her behind to bringing her to face a chimera.
My gaze went to the ceiling of the tunnel where the Arachne skittered above us. She paused when we came to a crossroads and then pointed to our right. “Down this tunnel. At the end you will find the chimera and the vault. Remember your promises.”
“We will,” Lauren assured her. “We will meet you back here when we’re done.”
The Arachne didn’t respond. No doubt she was as skeptical as her companions. Truth be told, even I was skeptical of this grand scheme. Chimeras were typically a five person job, and they only grew more dangerous with age.
Much as I would have preferred dragging Lauren in the opposite direction, I forced myself to walk down the indicated tunnel. I stayed in front of Lauren, hoping to shield her as much as I could from any incoming attack. Silence fell thick between us.
“Have you faced a chimera before?”
I glanced back at Lauren and shook my head. “This will be a first for me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It was a bold move, sweetheart, even for me, but it seems to be working.”
“For the moment,” she murmured.
I stopped in my tracks and turned to wrap my hands around Lauren’s upper arms. Staring into her dark eyes, I held her gaze as I said softly, “You made the right call. They listened to you, and they certainly hadn’t been listening to me.”
“Not threatening to rip their hearts from their chests probably helped there,” she murmured with a wavering smile. It died as she stared up at me. “Are we okay?”
“Of course.” I kissed her forehead and then forced my hands to uncurl and release her as I stepped back. Reaching up, I unsheathed my sword before asking, “Remember the plan?”
“I came up with it,” she countered with a strained lightness.
I smirked at her. “Clever girl.” I paused and swiftly pulled her into a tight embrace as I kissed her. Savoring the feel of her lips beneath mine and deepening the kiss until we were both gasping for air when I finally broke away. I met her dark gaze and gently ran my thumb across her swollen lips. “For luck and just in case.”
Lauren nodded. “Right.”
I smirked at the unsteadiness of her voice before sobering once more. We still had a chimera to face, and it wasn’t as though I had any lead for the beast to melt and swallow. The lingering scent of smoke filled the air as we moved deeper into the tunnel. The grey walls bore the dark scars of scorching flames and soon shattered bones littered the floor.
Instinctively moving in front of Lauren, I felt her hand rest on the middle of my back. We had a plan, one about as fit to use as a siren instructing a centaur in the art of flying, but at least we had it. I could only hope that Lauren would have the energy to pull another glamour trick so soon after her stunt with the illusion. A clever piece of work, of course, but I suspected it had cost her even though it hasn’t been as extensive as hiding an airship.
Tightening my grip on the hilt of my sword, I nodded. Lauren’s hand pressed more firmly against my back and we moved forward together. There was enough sand to continue muffling our footsteps even though it took a bit of fancy stepping to avoid crushing any bones beneath our feet. The smell of smoke grew heavier as did the amount of soot on the walls. No murals or reliefs covered this section of the labyrinth either.
Finally, we emerged into a wide circular room. I could make out a square doorway not far from us. However, a large shape lay in the center of the room. A chimera, its body and feet and one head that of a lioness while the second head sprouting from its shoulders was a goat and a long scaly tail that ended in a snake’s head. She laid quietly, the remnants of a minotaur’s skeleton beneath her front paws.
I didn’t dare glance back at Lauren as I continued edging into the room. If I could just get close enough, I might be able to kill the chimera without her ever waking. From the mangy condition of her hide and the flaky quality of her scaly tail, I suspected the chimera was nearing the end of her life or at the very least in rather poor health.
We had almost reached her when a loud crack sounded. I glanced back to see Lauren’s grimace. She had stepped on a skull, crushing it underfoot. I carefully moved us to the right as the chimera stirred. The lioness head seemed to wake first, lifting up while the goat’s head stirred, but she didn’t get to her feet. One of the lioness’ eyes was scarred and milky white. The goat’s head bore a milky eye as well. She had two good eyes between the two heads. She snuffled at the air, ears swiveling, and I stopped moving.
Lauren’s hand still pressed against my back as we waited. The chimera didn’t seem able to catch our scent despite her efforts, perhaps due to age or past battles deadening her sense of smell. She snapped her tail and the snake’s head stirred its eyes opening with unfortunate clarity. As it rose in the air, its hood flared and its mouth dropped open to reveal dripping fangs. Wonderful, she had a cobra’s head. That was just . . . lovely.
I tightened my grip on my sword, but didn’t try to attack. I wanted to get Lauren to a better defensive position and closer to the vault. As the chimera slowly lumbered to her feet with the telltale signs of arthritis, I moved forward. The chimera found the crushed skull and let out a mix of growling, bleating, and hissing. The goat’s head dipped down and took one of the skull pieces between its teeth, crunching it noisily.
Lauren pressed harder against my back as we drew closer to the square block of stone. It had to be the vault. There was a door. We had almost reached it when I heard the cobra’s hiss. I glanced back to find the cobra’s gaze was fixed on us. Lauren stumbled, leaning against my back, and I realized her glamour must have failed.
Pushing her toward the door, I spun to face the chimera. The cobra’s mouth dropped open and it spat at me. I leapt to the side, the venom sizzling as it landed on the sand. Then the snake coughed again, this time spitting out flames. I gave a shout as the venom ignited with a blaze of heat. Lauren called a warning, and I rolled to the right just in time to avoid the cobra’s strike. Coming upright, I swung my sword and nicked its scales. A mix of dead skin and green blood sloughed off.
The chimera let out a shrieking mix of bleating and roaring. She whirled to face me with her main heads. I lunged to the right once more as the air grew hot with fire. Had to be a fire breather. I ran back toward the entrance, throwing a knife at the cobra’s head to keep its attention on me. I could barely see Lauren beyond the still burning venom, she was kneeling by the door of the vault.
Just needed to keep the chimera’s attention on me. I threw another knife, this one sinking into the chimera’s hip. All three heads tilted back as she screamed. I dodged behind an altar as the cobra spat venom at me again. More flames erupted, and I quickly rolled away before my jacket caught fire as well. I threw a knife, this time managing to sink it in the goat head’s good eye.
The chimera shrieked, breathing fire from her goat’s head as she shook it and pawed at the knife. It fell to the ground, leaving a bloody mess behind. The cobra hissed and the lioness snarled. The chimera leaped at me and I fell to the ground, raising my sword as I did. I barely avoided the cobra’s snap as I dragged my sword across the chimera’s exposed belly.
Slamming the heel of my boot against its s
nout, I rolled behind the chimera and leapt to my feet. The cobra swung around to face me, and I shouted as I charged. The cobra coiled and then struck. I felt its fangs snag in the corner of my jacket as I brought my sword down. The chimera screeched as I cut through the tail, severing the cobra’s head, and then I shoved the head away with my sword.
Green blood dripped on the ground, staining the sand, while venom sizzled where it fell from the cobra’s open mouth. I yanked my jacket off as fast as I could, discarding it before any of the venom could touch me. The chimera staggered, but still swung around to face me once more. She glared at me with her one good eye. Then, she snarled as she leapt at me. I dodged to the left and sliced through the tendons of her front leg.
She landed in a heap, scrambling to regain her feet even as her blood continued seeping out to stain the sand. I didn’t hesitate. She had lived a long life, one filled with suffering. The cold justice of a Myrmidon flooded my veins. She had killed countless other paranormals, and she had been enslaved herself. Justice was ending her life, doing it swiftly was my mercy.
I avoided her flailing paws and plunged my sword between her ribs. I didn’t stop until I felt the blade strike her heart. The chimera jerked and then her remaining heads fell to the ground and her limbs went still. I twisted the sword to make certain of it before I stepped back, pulling my sword free as I did so. It was done.
I wiped my blade against the chimera’s mangy hide and then headed around her body, skirting the green blood and the sizzling drops of venom. “Lauren!”
“Here.”
The flames of burning venom had finally consumed themselves, leaving a scorched strip of sand that looked almost glassy from the intense heat. Sweat dotted Lauren’s brow, but she looked unharmed as I approached her. She reached a hand out to me. “Are you hurt?”
I shook my head. “Took a few falls, but nothing I can’t walk off.” I glanced at the stone door and its carved surface. “What have you found?”
“A surprisingly simple locking system,” she replied as she waved at the door.
Looking closer I realized she was correct. The door only had three bolt and catch locks sliding across its surface, and Lauren had already undone two of them. The highest one was most certainly beyond her reach, even if she had attempted hopping up to reach it. I chuckled to myself at the amusing image of Lauren hopping around in an attempt to reach the lock. Perhaps I shouldn’t have since she gave me a glare. The woman had probably guessed what turn my thoughts had wandered down.
I cleared my throat and quickly strode to the door. Probably shouldn’t have laughed at her. Especially given the fact that even I was forced to stretch on my tiptoes and reach as high as I could to grab the bolt’s handle. I was fairly certain I heard Lauren mutter something about me getting what I deserved too. Once I slid the bolt back, however, I had to strain to tug the stone door open.
It swung open to reveal a short hall. I took a step forward only for Lauren to call my name. Her hand landed on my arm as she said, “Wait. I think there’s a trap.”
I frowned down at her. “What do you mean?”
She nodded to the hall. “I don’t know for sure. But . . . Mathias, if you go through, the trap will trigger. Your number is too high. It will trigger the trap.”
For a moment, I considered protesting. However, if there was one thing I had learned about Lauren Hope it was that she never tried to interfere unless her instincts were screaming at her. I hesitated a moment longer, not liking what I suspected was about to happen. Then, I slowly stepped back. “All right.”
Lauren gazed up at me for the briefest span of time before she nodded. “Right. I won’t be long.”
Letting her go without me was one of the hardest things I had to watch. And that included fighting a chimera. She moved into the hall with slow cautious steps until she stepped through the arch at the end, and then she disappeared. It took all the willpower I had to keep from leaping into the hall after her.
Come on, Lauren, you can do this.
* * *
Lauren
The air of the chamber felt different, not unlike the echo tunnel’s almost watery feeling although I hadn’t seen any shimmering shadows. Glancing over my shoulder, I stumbled to a halt as I realized I couldn’t see Mathias. I could see the hall, but no Mathias on the other side. The stone door still stood open. I just . . . I couldn’t see anything aside from the door and its frame.
Maybe I had stepped inside an echo tunnel again. I looked around the chamber, attempting to detect the telltale shimmery shadows. I didn’t see any. I did, however, see plenty of artifacts. Weapons that traced from ancient scythe like swords to roman shields still decorated with the empire’s eagle wings to a mace and chain. Then, there were the not so obvious weapons. The ones that looked like they belonged on display in galleries or museums. One of them, a jade carving of a sinuous water dragon, radiated with power.
I gave that one a wide berth. Anything that felt that powerful and was created by dragons most likely carried some sort of magic that would leave anyone who wasn’t a dragon dead or wishing they were dead. Something I very much wanted to avoid, thank you. I skirted around racks of swords of various length and design before pausing in front of a spear with a sharpened spike on the opposing end. The scrolling script along its blade and shaft was foreign to me. Something else I didn’t particularly want to touch.
Yet, the sense of power continued to assault me. It formed a sort of pressure, almost as though someone was pressing their thumb as hard as they could against the center of my forehead. It wasn’t coming from any of the artifacts in this room. Although, the water dragon’s artifact was also strong. It wasn’t as strong as the pressure I felt, pressure that grew as I maneuvered around the stacks of weapons toward the center of the room.
A small rounded stone dome rose from the center. Why I hadn’t noticed it before, I couldn’t even hope to explain unless it had something to do with the feeling of being inside an echo tunnel. It simply hadn’t been there until I was nearly on top of it. I stepped through another archway into a much smaller room. I was relieved to find that I could still see out to the larger chamber of the vault. The ceiling brushed against the top of my head as I stood in the crowded space. Covered urns that came up to my chest filled the room, leaving only a scant space between them to walk. And there were boxes set on pedestals, several of which radiated with danger. They’d been covered with traps, nasty ones, and I couldn’t explain how I knew that.
Several of the boxes were covered in ancient Greek, and I almost wished I could read the language so I would be able to decipher what they said. Almost. It probably would have been much more difficult to resist the sudden desire to open one of them if I had been able to read whatever the boxes claimed to contain. Several of the urns were covered in draconic. I didn’t examine them closely, though, not wanting to waste precious time.
There was almost always a time limit on these sorts of quests. And, I didn’t want to become trapped inside. The pressure on my forehead increased as I edged through the rows of urns and pedestals. Until, it was nearly overwhelming as I entered the last row. I stopped in front of three urns set in the very back of the room as power called to me. It wanted to be found, and there was something almost familiar about it.
I was drawn to the center urn of the three and carefully shifted the lid to one side. Numbers flashed in the darkness, one through ten, glowing bright and warm. I reached in before I could think better of it and pulled out a partially wrapped piece of crown. I recognized the covering as one of my shawls. It was the piece they had taken from me.
Wrapping it back up, I carefully stowed it in my satchel before I replaced the urn’s lid. Then, my feet were irresistibly drawn to another urn. This one stood in one of the center rows, but off to the right at the very end of the row. It too held a linen covered piece of crown.
For some reason, it was more difficult for me to put this one into my satchel. I wanted to unwrap it, to touch it, and to fi
t it together with its fellow piece. Twice, I caught myself on the verge of slipping my hand inside the satchel before the sense of power slammed into me again. This time it yanked my attention to one of the pedestals and a small box.
I stared at it for a long moment before I realized I couldn’t sense any extra protections on the box. In fact, I hadn’t even noticed that this pedestal held anything when I first entered the room. Actually, I had been certain it was empty. But, not anymore.
I reached toward the box then paused and dug out the two crown pieces instead. I touched them to the lid first and murmured, “Reveal.”
No idea why, but the word leapt off my tongue with almost as much power as what I sensed from the box. I kept hold of the wrapped crown pieces as I opened the box, pushing the lid up with my little fingers. The first thing I saw was a series of numbers blazing gold just above the surface of the crown piece. Then, I noticed the scroll of papyrus resting just behind it. There was room in the box for four more crown pieces. I didn’t know how I knew that either. Yet, I didn’t hesitate to place the two crown pieces inside.
The only sensible thing I did was to leave them cocooned in their wrappings. My fingers itched to take the scroll and study it. I ignored the urge. I didn’t have time. Closing the lid, I hesitated only a moment before I scooped up the box and carefully placed it inside my satchel. Then, I hurried out of the smaller chamber.
Once outside, I turned around only to find the stone dome had vanished. A glamour. It had to be a glamour. Remembering what else I was meant to do, I walked through the rows of weapons once more. I stopped in front of a long dagger with a slight hook to the end of its blade and carefully removed it from the wall. Then, I went back to the spear I spotted earlier.
Quests by Numbers (Rogue Spotter Book 5) Page 11
