Vengeance and Vampires- The Complete Series Box Set

by Alicia Rades

  “You said they disappeared?” Sondra asked, redirecting the conversation.

  “Yes,” Venn confirmed as he stood.

  I shoved the first-aid kit back in my pack and rose to my feet beside him.

  “I’ve heard of these things before,” Sondra said. “They’re the enchantment I felt back by the lake. I’m sure of it.”

  “What are they?” Teagan asked.

  “Mongrels,” Sondra answered. “Mongrels come in various forms and can look like almost anything. They’re a physical manifestation of a spell that’s used to scare people. The spell is usually used to protect something valuable, which definitely fits the bill in this case.”

  “Why haven’t we ever heard of them?” Ryland asked.

  “Because the spell is incredibly rare and difficult to cast,” Sondra explained. “But they only appear in front of the scared and the weak.”

  “I was exhausted when we came out of the lake,” I said. “Is that why it attacked me?”

  Sondra nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense. I know how hard this sounds, you guys, but you can’t let your fear get to you in here. The more scared you are, the more chance there is of running into the mongrels again—and who knows what else.”

  “I thought you said a little fear was a healthy thing,” Teagan pointed out.

  Sondra hesitated a moment. “I did… But this is not exactly a test of fear. It is a test of faith. We’re safe by each other’s sides. I promise you that. I’m going to get each and every one of you out of here. You have nothing to be afraid of.”

  Venn took a breath and nodded. “Agreed. I trust Sondra. I trust all of you. We’ve got this.”

  The weight on my chest lifted. “So, now that the mongrels are gone, where do we go? There were six tunnels by the lake. Do you think one leads to the Artifact?”

  “Yes,” Sondra said. “I don’t feel anything down this tunnel anymore, so let’s go back and see if we can feel something down one of the others.”

  We started down the tunnel back the way we came. After a good five minutes, I was starting to worry.

  “This is the way we came, isn’t it?” I asked. “I wasn’t even dragged for a minute. Was the mongrel that fast?”

  “No,” Sondra replied, glancing around the tunnel. “We should’ve been back at the lake by now. I didn’t see another tunnel. Did anyone else?”

  Everyone shook their heads.

  “Crap,” Sondra muttered.

  “What?” Venn demanded. “What’s going on?”

  Sondra’s eyes remained locked ahead. I followed her gaze to see the tunnel widen into a small cavern no bigger than a bedroom. Five other tunnels broke off in all directions like the ones back at the lake. It was clear we were no longer in the right tunnel.

  Sondra spun as we entered the cavern, taking it all in. “There’s no telling where these tunnels lead. Be prepared to question everything you see down here.”

  “What are you saying?” Teagan asked.

  Sondra let out a heavy breath. “We’ve just entered an impossible labyrinth.”

  18

  “What do we do?” Ryland demanded, as if Sondra navigated changing labyrinths daily.

  “The important thing is that we stick together,” Sondra said. “If we end up down different tunnels, we may never find each other again.”

  Teagan peered into each tunnel. They were all equally dark and ominous. “What’s the trick?”

  “Trick?” Sondra asked.

  “Yeah, the trick,” Teagan replied with a wave of her hand. “How do we make sure the tunnels stop changing and always lead to the same destination? How do we decide which one holds the Artifact?”

  “I’m not sure we can stop it from changing,” Sondra replied. “This is just a wild guess, but I think what we’re looking at is Synchrony on steroids.”

  “Huh?” I asked.

  “Synchrony reflects your intentions back on you,” Sondra explained. “Positivity breeds positivity. A labyrinth like this will do the same thing, but with different energy signatures.”

  “So you’re saying fear will breed fear?” Venn theorized.

  “Exactly,” Sondra confirmed. “That’s what the mongrels are. They will take any shape to scare you. But I have a feeling that’s not the only thing we’ll encounter down here.”

  “Examples?” Ryland pressed.

  Sondra shrugged. “It could be anything. If all you’re focusing on is how you’ll never get out of here, you’ll never find an exit. So I suggest you try to let go of worries.”

  Teagan scoffed. “Easy for you to say. You’ve had lifetimes of practice.”

  Sondra frowned. “I never said it was easy. Keep your thoughts positive and we shouldn’t have any issues. And if you do end up victim of the labyrinth, I suggest you find a way to turn your thoughts around. We’ll start down this tunnel.”

  Sondra began toward the tunnel on the left side of the one we came through. Ryland and Teagan exchanged a glance before following behind her, putting Venn and me in the back.

  “Sondra’s very optimistic,” I said as Venn and I fell into step side by side.

  “She tries to be empathetic, but I think she forgets sometimes how hard it can be to control yourself,” he replied.

  I kept my eyes on Fiona’s red fur in front of me. “I know what you mean about losing control. Put a vampire in front of me and a sharp object in my hand and you can bet he’s not leaving except in a pile of ashes.”

  Venn laughed lightly. “You get a pass for vampire slaying. Nobody can resist a good fight.” He shot me a teasing smile.

  “Well, let’s just hope we don’t get split up because”—I glanced behind me to see the room we’d left was just barely visible in the distance—“I wouldn’t want to be the sucker who has to navigate this labyrinth alone…”

  I turned back toward Venn, but my light hit nothing except the rocky cave wall. As my light swept the tunnel, I found that I was completely alone. When I glanced back to the tunnel room, that was gone, too. It was nothing but a long, dark tunnel with no end in either direction.

  I should’ve been scared shitless at everyone’s sudden disappearance, and maybe I would’ve if Sondra hadn’t just explained the nature of the caves. Instead, all I felt was annoyance sink in my gut.

  “Well, shit,” I muttered. “I’m officially a sucker. I always did hate mazes.”

  I continued the way I was originally headed, hoping I’d run into something worthwhile eventually. Maybe I’d stumble upon the Artifact. Or at least make it back to the lake or circle around to the tunnel room. Then I could wait until someone showed up again—hopefully.

  But the fact was this tunnel led nowhere. It just went on and on without even rising or falling a degree. I was pretty sure I’d walked past the same rock jutting out of the wall fifty times. I’d stopped to rest three times and ate all my granola bars. I must’ve been walking half the day. My feet were starting to hurt, and I was in serious need of a nap.

  I stopped walking and sank down the wall to the cave floor. What happened back there? Was Venn worried about me?

  It’s just one of the labyrinth’s tricks, I told myself. I needed to focus less on how much I’d been walking, how much my feet hurt, and how freaking lonely this vast tunnel was. Like Sondra had instructed, I had to turn my thoughts around.

  “Positive thoughts… positive thoughts…” I repeated, closing my eyes. “I will find Venn…”

  I half expected to hear his voice calling in the distance. I peeked one eye open, but nothing had changed.

  I squeezed my eyes shut again. “I will find the end of this tunnel. I will get out of here.”

  And when I do, the first thing I’m doing is ordering a juicy double bacon cheeseburger, because I’m starving.

  This time when my eyes opened, I noticed a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. I shot to my feet, squinting to make it out. I turned off my headlamp just to be sure, and sure enough, the light continued to flicker across the cave walls
like a flame.

  I hurried forward, eager to finally escape this endless tunnel. The light grew brighter and brighter as I approached, until I broke free of the tunnel and stepped into a vast cavern with a tall ceiling. The cavern was the size of a gymnasium, with long wooden tables spanning the length of it. Each table was set with hundreds of flickering candles placed between plate upon plate of chocolate cake. My mouth watered.

  “Very funny!” I shouted to no one in particular.

  It was official. I was going insane. Could that happen after only a few hours? Or had it been longer? My stomach rumbled like I hadn’t eaten for days. The endless chocolate cake stared back at me, tempting me to gobble it up like Thanksgiving dinner.

  But I had more sense than to eat random pieces of cake inside an enchanted labyrinth. It’d probably poison me, or turn me into a frog or something. Still, I found myself stepping toward the closest plate. What would it hurt to take just a little bite?

  My gaze caught a fork I hadn’t noticed before, and I reached for it. Sure, I could resist one of the most powerful objects in the world, but when it came to chocolate, I was done for.

  I’m not going to eat it, I decided. I’m just going to smell it.

  My fork plunged into the cake, and I tore a moist corner off. Small white pebbles poured out of the cake from where I’d broken it. At least, I thought they were pebbles… until they started squirming.

  Maggots!

  The labyrinth was sticking up her middle finger at me.

  “Nasty!” I stuck mine up right back and skewered the suckers with my fork.

  The maggots I stabbed only broke apart and multiplied. Suddenly, maggots exploded out of hundreds of cakes around me. There were so many that they covered the tables and fell to the floor.

  Disgusting!

  I gagged and whirled around to race back toward the tunnel. It was just behind me when I entered the room, but now it was a good fifty yards away. I pushed forward, squashing maggots with my feet as I went.

  Ew, ew, ew!

  I trudged through the pool of maggots that were up to my knees now. Why did it have to be maggots? They were only second on my hit list after vampires. They were hands down one of the most disgusting creatures on the planet.

  Suddenly, they started jumping, as if they were some sort of mutant maggots. I could already feel them squirming against my legs. No way in hell was I taking one up the nose.

  The tunnel seemed farther away than ever, and my heart began to pound like I was never going to make it. These suckers were going to crawl inside my throat, choke me, then eat me before my body had a chance to cool.

  Not on my watch.

  Ignoring my instinct not to touch them, I pressed my hands to the nearest maggot-infested table. Their little bodies squished under my weight while others wiggled their way onto my skin. I pulled myself onto the table, freeing my legs from the swarm of maggots at my feet and shaking off the others. I quickly jumped up and raced down the table, kicking plates as I went.

  The only thing that would make this worse is a…

  I didn’t get a chance to finish my thought before the cavern began rumbling. The table shook beneath my feet, and a pile of rocks crumbled down a tall slope in the wall to my right. Bile rose in my throat. I told myself to not look back, but I couldn’t help it. I had to see for myself.

  I dared a glance behind my shoulder as I ran. What I saw stole my attention, which sent me tripping over a plate and into the pile of maggots. I caught my fall, squishing guts out of their little white bodies and between my fingers.

  But maggot guts were the least of my worries. Behind me, the holy mother of all larvae rose up. It was as big as a semi-truck. Its tall brown head nearly touched the ceiling of the cave. Six legs protruded from its fat, slimy white body and wiggled in the air. In the candlelight, it looked freaky and disgusting as shadows rippled across its body. It let out a deep roar akin to Ryland’s. Which was totally weird, because I didn’t think maggots made a sound. But maggots weren’t exactly the size of semi-trucks, either. It must’ve been a product of the labyrinth’s mind games meant to scare me. Which, by the way, was kind of working.

  This is apparently what I get for being a Negative Nancy. Control your damn thoughts, girl! Except I couldn’t just think away the giant vermin. God, this enchanted cave was confusing as hell.

  I grabbed the first thing my hands could find, which happened to be a plate. I sprang to my feet and chucked it at the giant maggot’s head. I didn’t stick around to see where it hit. I whirled toward the tunnel I came through and took off sprinting—only, the tunnel wasn’t there anymore. Worry ripped through me involuntarily.

  You can’t worry, Rachel! It’ll only make it worse. Think positive thoughts. Rainbows. Butterflies. Sunshine.

  Even my own mini pep talk was so not helping me right now.

  I glanced behind me just in time to see the giant maggot lunging toward me, as if it was going to grab me between its pinchers and gobble me up for its next meal.

  Oh, no you don’t.

  I quickly dodged out of the way, leaping over the pile of baby maggots on the ground and to the next table. Big ol’ Mother Maggot crashed into the table I’d just been running down. It collapsed beneath her weight. I promptly leapt to the next table, and then the one after that, to put as much distance between myself and Mother Maggot as possible. My eyes darted around the cave, desperately searching for an exit.

  Mother Maggot isn’t getting her next meal. I’ll fight to the death if I have to.

  My eyes fell upon a tunnel on the other side of the room. Problem was, Mother Maggot was right between me and my chance of escape. She rose up again, showing off her size and staring down at me with eyes I was sure were there—but couldn’t see. They must’ve been just pin pricks. Her jaws snapped at me. Taking a deep breath, I swooped down and grabbed a fork in each hand. She wasn’t a vampire, and these forks weren’t exactly knives, but this bitch was begging for a fight. And she was going down.

  “Can’t we compromise?” I said aloud, as if Mother Maggot could actually understand me. “You let me go free and I don’t kill you?”

  She didn’t even hesitate. She threw herself forward again. I ducked and rolled out of the way, crushing hundreds of baby maggots. I felt the wind rush past her and the table buckle under her weight. She groaned. WTF? Maggots don’t groan. What kind of freaky cave was this?

  My gaze darted to where the tunnel had just been, but instead of finding it where I expected, it had moved. Even though Mother Maggot and I had changed directions, my escape tunnel was still on the opposite side of her.

  Which only meant one thing. The labyrinth wanted a show.

  I couldn’t help but let out a low laugh. It was probably mostly because I was tired and hungry and a bit on the loopy side, but it felt damn good to laugh. “You’re on.”

  Mother Maggot was already rising up again. I jumped forward and leapt onto her back. She was slippery, but her skin had ridges that I could hold on to. Pulling back my arm, I jabbed my fork into her skin. It did nothing but bounce off of her.

  Okay…

  Mother Maggot began thrashing her body from side to side, trying to throw me off of her. I held on tighter. In a last-ditch effort, she threw herself to the ground. The impact shook her whole body, and I could no longer hold on. I fell into a pile of baby maggots. Before I could jump back to my feet, Mother Maggot’s body came into view. She was rolling over, and she was going to squash me!

  I ignored the baby maggots and scrambled to my feet, digging them into the ground and diving out of the way. I just barely missed being pinned beneath her body. Glancing around for a weapon, I grabbed the closest thing my fingers could find—one of the flaming candles. Just as I turned around to use it on her, Mother Maggot’s legs clamped around me.

  I screamed in surprise as she lifted me into the air, but she squeezed me so tightly that my scream was cut off within a second. I lifted the candle to burn the closest area of flesh I could
find, which happened to be one of her legs.

  Mother Maggot cried out in pain, sounding a lot like a whale in labor—not that I was exactly familiar with that sound. She loosened the one leg and snapped her jaws at me again. My arm slipped free, and I jabbed the candle straight into her face between where I guessed her eyes would be.

  She stumbled backward, loosening her grip on me just enough that I could get my hands on one of her legs and twist as hard as I could. The cry only grew louder, and her hold on me weakened, but she didn’t let me go. Mother Maggot stumbled and twisted, until we both went crashing into the cave wall. She caught herself with her top legs, but it wasn’t enough to keep the air from knocking out of my lungs.

  As I sucked in deep breaths, my eyes fell upon the huge rock pile beside us. Just before she could right herself, I reached out and grabbed the closest rock I could find. To my surprise, it was a sharp, pointed rock. Just what I needed.

  I smiled cunningly. Mother Maggot lowered her jaw, aiming her open mouth at my head. Now that I had my lucky rock, I wasn’t even worried. I drew my arm back and plunged that sucker straight into her chest.

  A high-pitched shriek echoed off the cave walls. She finally let me go, but I held on to that rock with dear life as I dropped to the ground. It sliced through her all the way down. Guts spilled onto the cave floor, covering me in a fresh layer of goop.

  But I didn’t care. Mother Maggot’s body slumped against the rock pile. I was free. I smiled triumphantly, but I didn’t stick around to revel in the victory. I dropped my rock and whirled around, sprinting straight for the tunnel before it could move again. I didn’t slow down until I knew the room of rotten nightmares was far behind me.

  When the light from the room faded and the tunnel was covered in pitch blackness again, I finally slowed. I took a knee to catch my breath and turned my headlamp back on. Now that that nightmare was over, I needed to figure something out—and fast. Frankly, I was already sick of this labyrinth and its little mind games. If I didn’t learn how to play this game to my favor, I’d be trapped here forever.