Dangerous Creatures (Book 3, Pure Series)

by Catherine Mesick

  He had moved a little beyond me, and when he heard his name, Terrance turned so that his flashlight was shining directly into my eyes.

  I heard him gasp. "Katie?"

  "Yes," I said. "Would you mind lowering that thing a little?"

  "Yeah, sure," he said. "Sorry."

  Terrance lowered his flashlight, and I could see his lean brown face floating seemingly disembodied in the darkness.

  "Katie, I have to say this is a shock. You keep popping up in the strangest places. What are you doing here?"

  "I would ask you the same thing," I said, "except I already know. I know you're a member of the Order of the Hawthorne."

  In the glare from the flashlight, I saw Terrance's mouth drop open.

  "Okay, this just keeps getting weirder," he said. He glanced quickly back up the tunnel. "Look, I don't know how you got here, but you'd really better leave. When I say this place is not safe, that's really quite an understatement. You'd better come with me—the way out's back this way."

  "Terrance, I know you have the Star of Morning," I said. "And I know you've come here to destroy the Hunter. But you can't destroy him on your own. He's too powerful. You have to tell me how the sword works. I have to be able to use it, too."

  "Okay," Terrance said, "as strange as this is, I'm just going to go with it. I'm perfectly willing to talk about this. But we can't do it in here. It's far too dangerous."

  "I definitely don't mind leaving this place," I said. "Lead the way."

  Terrance and I hurried back the way he had come, and the tunnel turned sharply to the right once more. Once we'd made the turn, I could feel cool air rushing into the tunnel, and soon we were standing underneath a roughly hewn shaft that extended all the way to the surface. Unlike the shaft in the cave chamber, this one appeared to be natural, and I could see a sprinkling of stars in the dark patch of sky above us. There was also a rope snaking down the shaft to the cave floor.

  Terrance switched off his flashlight, and as he did so, I just caught sight of the hilt of a sword at his side.

  "I imagine that you'd probably make a pretty good climber," he said. "But we really don't have much time right now. If you wouldn't mind standing at my back and holding onto my neck, I can have us up the shaft pretty quickly."

  I did as he asked, and Terrance began to ascend the rope smoothly, as if he didn't feel my weight at all. Sooner than I would have thought possible, we had reached the top of the shaft, and I found myself climbing out into the open air.

  Terrance quickly unwrapped the rope from a boulder it was tired around and coiled the entire thing over his shoulder.

  He turned sharply then and raised his flashlight, switching it on. He stood very still for just a moment and then shut the flashlight off and turned back to me.

  "What is it?"" I asked.

  "It's nothing," he said. "Come on. We'd better put some distance between ourselves and this place if we want to talk in safety."

  It was fully dark now, but the stars were out, and there was a fair amount of light to see by. We ran through the night with Terrance leading the way until we came to a towering stack of boulders. Terrance climbed up onto the lowest one and then reached out a hand to me. Together the two of us climbed up the stack of boulders until we reached the top. There at the summit, the surface was flat—except for one side that rose up in a concave, oval shape that was something like a shield.

  "I staked out this place a little while ago," Terrance said. "I can see the main entrance to the Hunter's tomb from here." He pointed. "And I can also see anybody coming up this side of the ridge." Then he tapped on the shield-like outcropping. "And this keeps out some of the wind."

  He settled down with his back to the shield.

  "So what are you doing here exactly?" he asked. "And how do you know so much about what I'm doing?"

  I sat down also. "Well, to begin with, I'm the Little Sun."

  Terrance stared at me. "You're the Little Sun?"

  "Yes."

  "Also known as the ghost girl in all the wild rumors."

  "Yes."

  "Okay," Terrance said. "That explains a few things."

  "But I haven't been going around killing off vampires," I said. "Something else is responsible for that."

  "I had no idea you were the Little Sun," Terrance said. "Maybe that's something my contact would've told me. I was keeping an eye on you at school, but only because I know some strange stuff happened to you."

  "Your contact?" I said.

  Terrance smiled ruefully. "As you apparently know already, I am, in fact, a member of the Order of the Hawthorne. When I was first assigned to Elspeth's grove, I was supposed to meet up with my contact there. But he never showed up, and I never got the proper briefing on the situation. So I just continued to take my orders from headquarters and tried to accomplish my mission as best I could."

  "And what was your mission?" I asked.

  "This is a little unorthodox," Terrance said, "but in light of who you are, I guess I can tell you. My mission was to find out what was going on at the cave in the Old Grove, to find out who was running the activity there, and to neutralize the entire operation. I managed to do two of those three things."

  "And you found out that the cave was full of vampires and vampire treasures," I said.

  Terrance looked startled. "I don't know how you know that, but yes. I guess I should stop being surprised by what you've managed to find out."

  I drew in my breath sharply. "Then that was you."

  "Me?"

  "You're the one who rigged the cave to explode," I said. "That was your idea of neutralizing the operation?"

  "Yes. And I thought it was a pretty effective solution. The entire structure has collapsed now. No one's digging those vampires out—not for a long time."

  Terrance glanced at me. "You seem upset by that. May I ask why?"

  "I was in the cave at the time," I said. "You very nearly killed me."

  "So that's how the explosives got tripped early," Terrance said. "That was you."

  "Yes."

  "Sorry about that. I didn't mean for anyone innocent to get hurt."

  "You couldn't have known," I said. "It's not your fault. I guess it's just one of the hazards of being—me."

  "All the same," Terrance said. "I should have been more careful."

  "So then what brought you here?" I asked. "If your assignment is in Elspeth's Grove?"

  "Well, the biggest part of that assignment wrapped up a little more quickly than I had anticipated. And our numbers have been shrinking over the years—there aren't many of us to go around. I knew the situation with the Hunter had reached the critical point, so I volunteered to come out here."

  "And then you stormed Rusalka castle and stole The Star of Morning," I said. "You certainly seem to be ideal for the job."

  Terrance gave me a small smile.

  "So how does the sword work?" I asked.

  Terrance looked puzzled. "How does it work?"

  "I heard it's not just an ordinary sword," I said. "I heard it can be used that way, but its real power comes from something else."

  "I see what you mean," Terrance said. "And you're right."

  He paused.

  "Terrance, I need to know," I said. "I have a right to know. The Hunter's after me—because I'm the Little Sun. I need to be able to stop him."

  Terrance looked at me for a long time.

  "Yes, you do have a right to know," he said at last. "But be careful with this information. We can't afford to let it fall into the wrong hands."

  He drew the sword from its scabbard and handed it to me. "I usually keep this hidden. But tonight I was planning to use it."

  I looked the sword over. It was a plain blade with an equally plain hilt. But though the sword was plain in appearance, there was something powerful about it. I could tell it was no ordinary weapon.

  "The Star of Morning isn't just a sword," Terrance said. "It's also a key."

  "A key?" I said.


  "Yes. The whole set up at the tomb was actually a trap. The Hunter was lured there by the presence of his wife, who's sort of in suspended animation."

  "That much I know," I said.

  "Well, the Hunter's wife is actually resting right on the trigger to a weapon. There's an island of rock floating on water down there. The island is the trigger. The Hunter's wife is on a stone slab, and there's a second slab next to hers that was originally occupied by the Hunter. He was chained there, and then this—"

  Terrance tapped on the sword.

  "This was inserted into a mirrored slot between the two stone slabs. And that primes and starts the weapon. The waters around the island rise up, and then the stars are called down. Anything on that island will be incinerated—except for the Hunter's wife. That energy shield around her is very powerful—it protects her. I think she's actually going to be there forever."

  "What do you mean the stars will be called down?" I asked.

  "That's a poetic way of putting it, I suppose," Terrance said. "But that's how it was described to me. The water around the island isn't actually water—it's some sort of electromagnetic agent. And the sword is like a megaconductor. It attracts all of the energy in the area—in the ground and in the air up into the upper atmosphere. It generates a massive lightning strike—only it's a regular bolt of lightning times a million. Supposedly it looks like the stars being called down to earth. I imagine it's quite spectacular to see."

  "So we have to get the Hunter onto his slab and place the sword in the mirrored slot," I said. "Does he have to be chained, too?"

  "I don't believe so, no," Terrance said. "Technically, he doesn't even need to be on the slab. As long as he's on that rock island when the power goes on, he'll be blown up right where he stands. The whole place, including the island, is lined with a special kind of rock—basically the strongest rock there is—and that concentrates the energy even further."

  "It's simple to describe," I said. "But not so simple to do. So, is that what happened to the Hunter the first time?"

  "Yes."

  "Then why didn't he stay dead?"

  "There are stories," Terrance said, "that even though he was chained to his slab, he somehow managed to free himself from those chains. Supposedly he made it off the island in time, and he missed the full force of the weapon. He still got enough to be burned to ash, but he wasn't completely incinerated. And these ancient vampires are powerful—not to mention the fact that he had a very strong revenge motive. His ashes slowly knit themselves together over the years."

  "So the weapon didn't work completely the first time?" I said.

  "No. Someone slipped up somewhere."

  "Does that mean the Hunter will come back again, even if this works?"

  "I don't think so," Terrance said. "No vampire is completely indestructible. And the weapon should work if he's in the right place."

  Terrance smiled grimly. "And if the sword doesn't work for some reason, I have this."

  He walked over to a nearby boulder and pulled out a box that was concealed behind it. He opened the box and tipped it toward me.

  I peered in. There were several stacks of what looked like square packets of clay. The box looked to be half empty.

  "What's that?" I asked.

  "C-4."

  "C-4?" I said. "As in the explosive?"

  "Yes."

  "Where did you get it?"

  "It's part of my supplies from the Order. I've got blasting caps, too. A fiery explosion can be very effective against vampires."

  "But you might not survive something like that," I said. "You might not survive any of this."

  Terrance set the box down carefully. "That goes with the territory."

  I handed the sword back to him, and he replaced it in its scabbard. Then he sat down again.

  "So what's our next move?" I asked.

  "Our next move?"

  "The Hunter doesn't know I'm free," I said. "And now would be an excellent time to set up a trap for him."

  Terrance shook his head. "Katie, you can't go back down there. You're what he needs to complete his plan. We have to keep the two of you apart."

  "I have to go back down there," I said. "I tried running once, and the Hunter found me. I tried running once, and someone I love—"

  My voice broke, and I was forced to stop.

  "You can't do this alone," I said, when I was able to speak again.

  "Katie—"

  "From what I've heard, the Hunter can take care of even you pretty easily," I said. "You'll need something to take his attention away from you. And I could be a powerful distraction."

  Terrance gave me a serious look. "Go on."

  "I'll go back into the cave and pretend to still be trapped on the slab," I said. "The Hunter will go on doing whatever he needs to do, not knowing anything is wrong—I assume as a vampire hunter that you have some way of disguising yourself so a vampire doesn't know you're near?"

  "I have my methods," Terrance said.

  "You'll hide," I said, "and then when the Hunter starts to perform his ritual to steal my soul—I'll run. All his attention will be on me. You can jump on the island then and get into position with the sword. When he brings me back to the island, you can spring the trap. Then we can try to jump out of the way."

  "That's awfully dangerous, Katie," Terrance said. "There's a good chance you won't survive."

  "There's a good chance you won't survive it, either," I said.

  "I'm a member of the Order," Terrance replied. "It's what I do."

  "And I'm the Little Sun," I said. "Besides, it's better than having my soul stolen."

  Terrance looked at me. "I hate to say it, but it's a decent plan. But even so, I can't risk your life."

  "You're not risking my life," I said. "I am. And we stand a better chance if we work together."

  Terrance was silent. Then he nodded. "Okay. Let's do this together."

  He glanced at me. "You're brave, you know that?"

  "So are you," I said.

  Terrance stood. "I guess we'd better go, then."

  He shut the box of C-4 with a snap and put it away.

  I stood also. ''Just one last thing. What day is it?"

  Terrance looked puzzled, but he answered me. "It's the twenty-ninth."

  "So Walpurgis Night is tomorrow?"

  "Yes. You've got a whole twenty-four hours of waiting on that slab. And I've got a whole twenty-four hours of hiding in the shadows nearby."

  "Where is the Hunter right now?" I asked.

  "I saw him head west," Terrance said. "I believe he's out looking for me. He must know about the theft of the sword by now. And he certainly knows what it's for."

  The two of us began to climb back down the stack of boulders.

  "You know if we survive this," Terrance said, "I'm going to ask to be sent back to Elspeth's Grove."

  "Why is that?" I asked.

  "Well, first of all, I didn't quite finish my assignment. I found out what the mining operation was for, and I shut it down, but I didn't find out who was behind it. I'd really like to know that. And second, someone's got to keep an eye on you. You get into an unbelievable amount of trouble."

  "Unfortunately, that's true," I said.

  "And third—"

  Terrance stopped.

  "And third?" I prompted.

  He smiled sheepishly in the starlight. "And third—and in many ways this is actually the first reason—I miss Irina. I'd really like to see her again."

  I smiled, too.

  "If we do make it back, please don't tell her about this," Terrance said. "I don't think she'd understand."

  "Not a word," I said. "I promise."

  Suddenly I saw a shadow rise up behind Terrance, and before I could call out a warning, a large figure slammed into him and then threw him down onto the boulders below. I turned swiftly, but the shadow was on me before I could move. There was a heavy impact then, and I felt myself fly through the air and slam against a hard surface.

>   I looked up and saw the stars shining overhead. As I watched, the stars faded away.

  Chapter 29.

  When I woke up, I found there was a sharp pain in my back.

  I moved away, and I was able to get some relief, but I was only able to move so far. I tried to move my arms then, but there was a heavy clink, and I found that my arms were stuck fast by my side.

  I looked around. I was in a very small, very dark room, and I could just see a faint glow coming from an opening up ahead of me.

  There was a light-colored metal chain that wound around my waist, and metal cuffs attached to that same chain held my arms down by my side. I was sitting on a very hard surface with my back against a rock and my legs stretched out in front of me.

  I had a terrible feeling that I was back inside the Hunter's tomb.

  I leaned my head back against the rock, and as I did so, a shadow shifted in the dim room and stood up. I expected to see the large bulk of the Hunter take shape before me, but the shadow that moved toward me was long and thin—it belonged to a much less substantial frame.

  Soon a face loomed in front of me, pale and mocking, and unfortunately, it was familiar to me.

  "Sebastian?" I said. "Sebastian from Elspeth's Grove?"

  He smiled. "You remember me. I'm touched."

  "What are you doing here?" I asked.

  "Your friend—Anton, was it?—told me to get out of town. So I did. And I found myself an even more advantageous situation. Working for myself had its rewards, but working for someone else does, too."

  "You're working for the Hunter?" I asked.

  "I keep an eye on things for him. Like I said, your friend told me to get out of town, and I did. And I've been tailing you to the best of my abilities since then. I lost you a few times, but I caught up with you in Zamochit after you left the castle."

  "The plane crash," I said. "Did you have anything to do with it?"

  "I had everything to do with it."

  "What happened to William?" I said. "Did he survive?"

  "I don't know anything specific about the crash. I'm not the one who went to the wreckage. But I didn't rig anything too serious. After all, I'd be in trouble if you got killed. I did just enough to damage the plane so that the pilot would be forced to make an emergency crash landing. I don't know what the Hunter did to anyone after he found them."