by Laura Hysell
I reached the main tunnel juncture and stopped. All around me were werewolves and men, anxiously looking around and straining their senses. At the heart of the tunnel, I skidded to a stop. The vampire was here. I could feel his ancient power emanating from this place, yet still, I could see no one.
Aidan hurried into the tunnel, his eyes widened in a mix of fear and excitement. The power, he said. So much power.
That’s Petrivian. It must be.
But where is he? Where are all the vampires?
I shook my head, wondering the same thing. The floor of the tunnel was solid rock, and the ceiling was the same. Could there be more tunnels above or below us? It didn’t feel like that. It felt like I could take five steps forward, reach out, and grab Petrivian around the throat. The dagger pulsed repeatedly in my hand, as though irritated I couldn’t figure out how much danger I was in.
“Henri,” I said, as realization suddenly hit me. Petrivian felt like Henri because he had created him, and one of Henri’s foremost powers was the ability to alter perception. He called himself the Master of Dreams, entering the minds of those around him and altering what they thought they saw. Petrivian was older than Henri, which meant he was most likely more powerful. Fuck!
It’s an illusion! They’re here. He’s here. He’s making us see what he wants us to see! I screamed at Aidan. It’s a fucking trap!
I ran down the tunnel, hurrying toward the one person I knew who could undo what Petrivian was doing. As I ran, I reached out to the Pack. It’s a trap! We’re surrounded by vampires. Petrivian is creating an illusion. He’s in the center of where the tunnels converge.
Anger and confusion greeted my words, but the wolves began to move, readying themselves. I ran past Mark and Jed, who had turned and were heading toward the center of the tunnels. Mark stopped, torn, as he watched me run past. I shook my head and kept moving, hurrying down the tunnels toward the vampire I knew. Henri was moving along a side tunnel, anger emanating from him.
“Henri,” I said, skidding to a stop and breathing hard.
“Where is he?” he asked, biting off each word. “Where is Petrivian?”
“He’s like you, isn’t he?” I asked, watching his reaction. “What are his powers? Can he change what others see, like you can?”
Henri shook his head, but a frown creased his forehead. “No, he never had such powers. Not like me. Not like that. I am the Master of Dreams, lest you forget it!” he said angrily, pointing a finger at me.
He tried to move past me, but I cut him off. “Vampire powers don’t just poof into existence, do they?”
“No.”
I put my hands on my hips, careful of my dagger, and stared him down. “So is this your doing, Master of Dreams?” I asked, waving my hand around.
“Is what my doing?” he snapped, blue eyes flashing.
“This! There are at least two vampires here with us, right now,” I said, pointing with the knife in the direction I felt the presence of the two vamps. “Yet, I can’t see them.”
Henri stared at me, then took in a deep breath, slowly releasing it. As he did, the power emanating from him increased. His eyes grew black, like two great orbs with barely a hint of white left. He let out another breath, and it was as though a fog lifted. Two vampires, exactly where I had felt them, stood behind Henri. He turned, lashing out with one quick move. Both vampires dropped to the ground, dead in an instant.
“I’m going to kill him,” Henri snarled, pushing past me.
“Can everyone see them now?” I asked, racing after him.
He shook his head. “No, but those close to me will be able to see the truth.”
“Why haven’t they all attacked us?”
“It will break the spell,” Henri replied. “Illusions work well when they are seen, not touched. The moment his hidden vampires tamper with the spell and start attacking people, the illusion of walls and empty tunnels breaks. It’s much easier to hold an illusion when the things around your illusion aren’t moving.”
“And you said he didn’t have the same power as you,” I muttered.
Henri stopped, turning his black eyes on me. “He didn’t. I did not lie!”
“Then what were his powers? What changed?”
“His strength,” he muttered, almost to himself. “He has grown in power. Never was he able to achieve illusions such as me. His powers were always just around himself. Simple things. He’d change his eye color, his height, his physical appearance. Never before could he do more than that.”
“How long ago was that?” I asked.
Henri shook his head and stepped back, eyeing me. “Too long,” he muttered, shrugging. “A few hundred years, I suppose.”
“You didn’t think he could change in a few hundred years?”
“He was never… ambitious. In the centuries I was with him, he never showed any sign of change. He never wanted to. He was content.”
“Well, not anymore.”
“No, it would seem not,” he said as he continued down the tunnel.
“How do we break his illusion?” I asked.
“It’ll break when he’s ready. When he attacks.”
I didn’t say any more as I followed close on Henri’s heels. Instead, I reached out to Mark and the Pack. Petrivian has an illusion set everywhere. Henri can break it, but only in a small space around him.
Henri? You’re with Henri? Mark growled.
I was too busy running to roll my eyes. Where’s Declan? Can he do something?
Mark was silent, and not in a good way. I kept close to Henri as he slowed down, revealing more vampires. He slashed out, startling the vampires who didn’t seem to realize he could see them. I took one in the chest, then hurried after him. The sensation of vampires was growing thicker as we neared the place the tunnels all met. Petrivian was still there, near the center, but he was moving now. Away.
Mark?
Declan and Ivan disappeared shortly after we arrived. We can’t find them.
Fuck! Petrivian’s on the move!
There was no more talking. I felt the illusions begin to crumble, and the awareness of the undead creatures grew tenfold, overpowering my senses. The dagger pulsed with renewed vigor, sending waves of heat into my palm. Death would come swiftly if I didn’t move. I rounded the corner, chasing after sight of Henri’s white shirt. The scene before me was utter chaos. As the spell unraveled, the vampires had attacked. The Pack was ready though, clustered together and fighting off the vampires. Glowing with the spell created by the contract were dozens of vampires, mixed amongst the werewolves. They fought beside the Pack, tearing into Petrivian’s legions with unmatched speed and viciousness.
Henri was making quick work of any who came in his path, tearing out throats as he passed. He pushed through the Pack and around the vampires, using his own magic to make himself invisible for brief moments. Just long enough. I tried to keep my eyes on him, but soon found myself fighting just to gain a few steps. The vamps were closing in, tossing werewolves around like they were rag dolls. The wolves were just as ferocious, tearing off heads with their massive jaws.
The power of the dagger seemed to keep me sane, even as the overwhelming fear, anger, and simple adrenaline urged me to shift into wolf form. All around me men were shifting, becoming great beasts. Either from injuries or due to the rigors of battle inviting the change, I had no idea, but each wolf who shifted stirred the wolf inside me. I fought the urge, keeping my focus on the dagger held tight in my hand. They were vulnerable for those brief minutes during the change. Now was not the time.
A vampire slashed at my throat, but I had no time to react as the massive wolf barreled into me. I stumbled, barely maintaining my footing, as I turned to see Jared tear into the vampire. With a sigh of relief, I reached my free hand out and touched his head. “We need to get Petrivian before he gets out of here,” I said, pointing in the direction the vampire was moving. Henri, I sensed, still chased after him. And he was gaining.
Jared turned
in the direction I had indicated, but we didn’t make it two steps before another vampire with vibrant red hair stepped out in front of me. She wore a white shirt and black skirt, looking as though she and Henri had coordinated outfits. I was sure the look was intentional on her part. Her hair was done up in an elaborate braid on her head; a look that was unflattering with her angular features. She was considerably thinner than last time I’d seen her, looking almost skeletal.
“So, Henri let you out?” I asked, pushing Jared away from me.
Petrivian. Get Petrivian, I urged. Jared moved, but not in the direction I wanted. Instead, he moved behind me.
A low growl sounded from behind, and I cast a glance over my shoulder in alarm. Another wolf, not one of ours, was closing in behind me. Jared moved to meet him, growling in response. I turned back to Sylvia, trusting Jared to take care of himself. The battle was moving away from us. I could only assume the Pack was chasing Petrivian, although without the magicians or Henri, they likely wouldn’t be able to see him.
“Yes, Henri has made me his right hand,” Sylvia replied, pulling herself up to full height.
My eyebrows raised in surprise. “You? Henri’s right hand? That’s rich,” I laughed.
Her eyes flashed angrily, looking like nothing more than two deep, black pools of emptiness. “Foolish girl. I have everything you threw away.”
“So, you’re his queen now?” I asked, leaning casually on one hip as I played with the tip of the dagger. Behind me, the snarling and fighting of the two wolves continued. I hoped Jared didn’t kill him, or the other werewolves Henri had brought along. It wasn’t their fault Henri had enslaved them.
“I am his right hand!”
“Oh, okay, so you’re not his queen,” I replied, nodding knowingly. “I couldn’t really see Henri letting some old hag like you into his bed, anyway.”
She lunged forward in anger, as I had hoped. I stepped to the side, slashing out with the dagger and snagging her shirt. Her eyes widened in shock as she touched her crisp white shirt. “You missed,” she gloated, tearing aside the shirt to show unbroken skin.
It was my turn to growl in anger. I raised the dagger and stepped forward, darting in and out with the knife. She easily turned away, stepping just out of reach every time. Despite her obvious weakness due to Henri’s punishments, she was still an ancient vampire. She had years of experience and innate vampire speed. Again and again, I attacked, but she just danced out of my way, laughing all the while.
The pull from my Alpha came suddenly, urging me to turn and race toward his location. Jared growled, reminding me of his presence. I glanced toward him, noting the wolf on the ground beside him. The Pack call came again, causing me to stumble. Sylvia should have attacked then, but something drew her attention. Her black eyes widened, as though in surprise, before she turned and ran away in a blur of red hair.
Jared led me down the tunnel, running ahead of me as Jed’s urgent call increased. Not being in wolf form, I had no idea why Jed was summoning us, but I knew better than to question my Alpha. Each call of the Pack ripped through my tenuous hold on humanity. The smell of blood in the air overwhelmed every sense. I held a hand over my nose, hoping to drown out the stench as I stumbled forward. The change was coming. I could feel my wolf rising to the surface, ready to take over whether I wanted her to our not.
The rumbling sounds came first. I stopped moving, concentrating on the sounds echoing down the tunnels. The rumbling grew, punctuated by loud bursts, sounding like fireworks. Or dynamite. I ran, letting instinct and fear take over. Jed’s urgency increased. My wolf would be faster, but I didn’t have time to stop and change forms now. Dust and rock fell around me in ever increasing amounts. Something hit my head, and I stumbled against the tunnel wall, reaching a hand up instinctively. Wetness coated my hand, and more trickled down the side of my face. The rumbling grew, drowning out all sound as I reached the main convergence of tunnels. With each new tunnel, more bodies littered the floor. Here, where so many tunnels came together, at least a hundred dead and dying lie on the ground. This was where Petrivian had been. I turned toward the first tunnel that would lead me out from under the mountains when the tunnel behind me collapsed in a blast, knocking me to the ground.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The blast had knocked me against a wall as more dust and rock crumbled from the tunnel ceiling. Using my arm to shield my head, I rolled into a ball as the roof of the tunnel I was in collapsed. Something hard hit my back, knocking the wind out of me, but I didn’t dare move. The rumbling that had followed the blasts seemed to finally settle, leaving me curled in a ball in silence. The only sound was the occasional rock sliding and falling.
Breathing was a struggle as dust filled the air. I coughed and sat up as rocks and debris shifted away from me. There was nothing but darkness. As a werewolf, my eyesight was far superior to the average human, but I still needed some light to see by. Gingerly, I felt my surroundings, afraid to move rocks for fear the rest of the tunnel would collapse. The space I was in was maybe three feet high, and just as wide. The ground was strewn with what felt like rocks, and something soft and wet that felt suspiciously like the remnants of someone’s hand.
My dagger was gone, lost somewhere after I had been blasted off my feet. I reached out through the link with the knife, feeling it somewhere to my right. I crawled that direction, running my hands along the ground. I touched the rocks encasing me, feeling above and around me. One was was smooth; the original tunnel wall. This wall I ignored, feeling instead along the junctures. A rock pulled away easily, and I set it down beside me before reaching my hand up to the small hole it had made. Only more rock was there to greet me. Again, I ran my hands along the rock, carefully pulling out only the rocks that moved easily.
The call of the Alpha stopped me. It wasn’t calling me toward him this time. No, he was searching for me; for us. All around me, I felt the answering replies of the Pack. Not in wolf form, I wasn’t sure how to respond. I simply felt for that thread of Pack magic and did my best to send an answering sensation to Jed. I was alive.
Izzy, Mark’s voice sounded distracted.
I’m okay.
I expected another reply, but Mark was silent. I reached out, feeling for him. He was fighting. His left leg hurt, but he was otherwise unharmed. I quickly retreated so I wouldn’t distract him. We were both okay for the time being. I returned to the barrier around me, feeling around for any loose rocks. Several small rocks tumbled around me, then finally I felt a large one wiggle. Carefully, I shifted the rock with both hands, feeling around it all the while. Inch by inch, I wiggled the rock until it suddenly pulled free into my hands. Several rocks tumbled down with it, and I held my breath, waiting for the sound of cascading rocks to cease.
The rock had been large, roughly the size of a basketball, which I stacked up behind me. I crawled forward, reaching my hand into the opening left behind. More rock greeted me, but here and there were small pockets between the rocks. Below the opening, however, several rocks now shifted easily. I moved these behind me, carefully stacking them to give myself as much room to maneuver as possible.
I continued like this, pulling out rocks I could, moving them to a stack behind me, grabbing more rocks. The hole I was making felt bigger, but the more rocks I moved, the more worried I grew about caving in everything around me. As I continued slowly on, I couldn’t help but wonder about the cave-ins. Petrivian had obviously been warned about our attack, but instead of simply not showing up, he had planned an elaborate trap. Or, perhaps he had always had traps in place. I breathed in, feeling a stir in the air from the new hole I had just made.
With renewed vigor, I pulled at the rocks, trying not to think of the consequences if I didn’t somehow free myself. The tunnels had to have been regulated, and while vampires didn’t necessarily need air to survive, the humans they were using did. There had to be a ventilation system of some kind, and that was likely the stirring air I was feeling.
Another r
ock wiggled, and I pulled it out, sniffing the air. It was less stale, if only minutely. I reached a hand forward, feeling nothing but open space beyond. I lowered myself onto my stomach and strained my eyes to see. Was that a hint of gray amidst all the enveloping blackness, or were my eyes playing tricks on me. I closed them, waited, then opened them. Yes, there was definitely a change in light. It was small, though.
I sat up, feeling a sudden sense of urgency as I pulled at the rocks. Being cautious was vital, but I found myself moving faster. A few rocks tumbled down, and my heart sped up in fear, but the main portion of the tunnel held tight. I grabbed the next rock, pulled, and something hard landed on my hand. I cursed at the pain, then grabbed the object. It was long and flat, about 2 inches thick and at least 8 inches wide. This had to have been some sort of support structure. I hadn’t paid much attention as I’d entered the tunnel, so intent as I’d been on the task at hand. I ran my hand along it, feeling the wood grains. The beam was long, reaching far into the hole. I pulled it past me a foot then rotated it onto it’s side. If the tunnel collapsed, at least I’d have the beam to support the rock.
Laying on my stomach, I wriggled into the opening I had made, reaching my hand out in front of me. Something sharp bit into my finger, and I jerked back in surprise. A thrill of warmth radiated down my finger, and I reached back out, searching. Heat spread across my palm as I made contact with the dagger, seizing it by the blade and not caring that it cut me. I ran my hand across the blade until I grasped the hilt. Even though Aidan was no longer a part of the blade, I still felt a stir of recognition from the dagger. It was mine.
Magic coursed through me from the dagger, and I felt strength flow down my limbs, urging me on. I continued to push through the small space I had made, using my elbows to pull myself up and forward. Air was becoming cleaner already, and I could see a definite change ahead. Where before, everything had been black, now I could see definition to the rock ahead of me. Light was filtering in from somewhere ahead. Forward I moved, wriggling slowly, until my hands touched rock once more. Panic seized me as I felt around, touching rock after rock. I reached out to my left, touching the wooden beam. It ended at my shoulder. My breathing came faster as I looked around, searching for the source of light. Searching for anything to get me out of there.
