Dangerous Creatures (Book 3, Pure Series) (41 page)

              "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."

              A cold, horrible wave of fear washed over me then.

              "Is something the matter?" Sebastian asked. "Suddenly you don't look very good."

              When I didn't reply, Sebastian went on.

              "And then I came back here to keep an eye on you for the Hunter while he went out to look for the Star of Morning. You didn't really think he would leave you unattended, did you?"

              "Then you let me escape?" I said.

              "Of course."

              "Why?"

              "I thought you might be able to find the sword, and you led me right to it."

              Out of the darkness Sebastian produced a sword that gleamed dully in the dim light.

              "Where's Terrance?" I asked. "What did you do to him?"

              "I left him where he fell," Sebastian said. "I didn't need him—I only needed you and the sword. And he was bleeding rather heavily from a wound to the head, so I don't think he'll be following us any time soon."

              I moved then, involuntarily, and Sebastian smiled. "Cheer up. At least you're back here where you wanted to be."

              He put the sword away.

              "Do you like the chains?" he said. "They're actually antiques. You may not have much appreciation for such things, but I really do value fine craftsmanship. These are actually the same chains that held the Hunter himself when he was originally caught in this tomb. I don't know why he didn't use them in the first place. Perhaps they bring back bad memories for him."

              I moved again then, and Sebastian looked amused.

              "If the Hunter couldn't break those chains, you certainly won't be able to. Although, I suppose you'll keep trying."

              He straightened up. "I think I hear the Hunter returning now. I'm sure he's going to be pleased with my night's work."

              Sebastian began to walk away.

              "Why are you doing this?" I asked. "What's in it for you?"

              He turned back. "I'm working for the most powerful vampire in the world—at least until the Werdulac is free. And then, who knows? The two of them will fight things out. But in the meantime, power has its privileges. The Hunter doesn't care for the perks, but I certainly do."

              Sebastian turned and disappeared into the darkness.

              A short time later, a large shape moved into the tiny room, and I looked up to see the Hunter standing before me.

              "What happened to William," I said. "What did you do to him?"

              As before, the Hunter said nothing, and his expression didn't change as he gazed down at me.

              "What happened to William?" I screamed.

              I could hear my own voice echoing around me. But the Hunter simply stared.

              After a moment, he turned and left the tiny chamber again.

              I sat then, in the darkness, staring toward the glow that issued from the nearby opening. I knew that I was looking at the glow that surrounded the Hunter's wife, and it occurred to me that that was the same glow into which I was supposed to go when the time came for me to take her place.

              I should have been horrified by the thought, but I was strangely numb to it. All I could think about was William and the last time I'd seen him.

              I could hear him screaming my name over and over again in my memory.

              In time, the memory began to blur and change, and I passed in and out of dreams. I woke once to find that tears were slipping down my face. But I did nothing to try to stop them, and I wasn't entirely sure I could feel them. I seemed to see the tears and myself from a distance, as if I had somehow left my body.

              I drifted into sleep again.

              When I awoke, the tiny cave room I was in was no longer dark, and the glow from the next room had disappeared. Instead, a dim, dusty sunlight was filtering in.

              It was day, and tonight was Walpurgis Night. This was the night I was going to lose my soul.

              I felt anger burning in me then, dark and horrible and strong. I pulled and rattled the chains until I felt some measure of relief—the activity, though futile, made me feel better. Then I settled back to think.

              I knew daylight was when most vampires slept, and I also knew that even if these two vampires were sleeping at the moment that I stood very little chance of getting past them. But all the same, I was determined to try.

              The first thing I had to do was get free of the chains.

              I glanced down at them. The chains were light and almost elegant, and there was even a diamond-shaped mirror on the back of each of the wrist cuffs. I tried to slip my hands through the cuffs, but there was no room—they fit so tightly to my wrists that they seemed to have been made for me. And how could I break chains that had once held the Hunter?

              And yet, according to the story Terrance had told me, the Hunter had once freed himself from these chains. And as far as I could see, they had not been broken—he must have found a way to unlock them. And Sebastian had found a way to make cuffs that were meant for the Hunter fit to me—he must have used something to adjust them. Perhaps there was a key.

              "Hey!" I shouted. "Hey! In here!"

              There was no answer, but I hadn't expected there to be one—at least not at first.

              "Sebastian!" I shouted. "Sebastian! Get in here! I want to talk to you!"

              That didn't bring a response, either, so I began to chant Sebastian's name steadily and to rattle my chains in time with the chants. I knew I wouldn't be able to get a rise out of the Hunter, but I thought I might just have a chance with his assistant.

              I kept the noise up for quite some time, and eventually, Sebastian's long, thin frame appeared in my tiny chamber.

              He appeared to be amused rather than angry.

              "May I help you?"

              I dropped the chant. "Seeing as you're going to steal my soul tonight, the least you could do is get me a drink of water."

              Sebastian seemed to consider the idea for a moment.

              "I don't see what harm it could do," he said at last. "And I suppose it would put an end to all this noise you've been making?"

              "It would certainly help," I said.

              Sebastian turned and left the room.

              A short time later, he returned with a wooden bowl.

              "It's not exactly water," he said. "But I have a feeling it will work even better."

              Sebastian kneeled down beside me and pressed the bowl to my lips. I tasted a cool, slightly sweet liquid, and I drank a few sips of it.

              "Did you give me this before?" I asked.

              "No," he said. "It must have been the Hunter."

              I drank again, and a curious feeling of well-being flowed through me. I kept drinking until the bowl was empty.

              Sebastian rose to go.

              "Wait!" I said.

              He turned back. "What is it now?"

              I didn't really have a well-formed plan, so I just forged ahead.

              "These chains," I said. "How do they work?"

              "You're kidding, right?" Sebastian said.

              "There must be a key."

              Sebastian looked amused. "Yes, there's a key."

              "Where is it?" I asked.

              He smiled and leaned down close to me.

              "It's in a place you can't possibly reach."

              He straightened up. "Anyway, sweet dreams for now."

              "What does that mean?" I asked.

              Sebastian smiled and left the room.

              Moments later, I felt my eyelids growing heavy, and I remembered, too late, that the drink I'd had before had made me sleep for a long time.

              I felt myself drifting into unconsciousness.

              When I awoke, I felt stronger and more alert, and I was startled to feel something like a draft brush by me. I looked around, but I couldn't see where it had come from.

              I was relieved to discover that I still could see—it was still daylight—but I could also see from the light that filtered into my tiny room that the day was wearing away.

              Sunset wasn't too far off. I pulled on my chains, but they still held fast.

              I was aware then, that there was a presence in the room with me. I looked around but couldn't see anyone. Then there was a soft sound behind me—so soft that I wasn't entirely sure I'd heard it. Then I felt something tugging at my chains.

              I looked around again, but I couldn't see around the boulder I was bound to.

              Eventually, the tugging stopped, and someone stepped out from behind the rock. It was Sachiko.

              She looked down at me silently, and I stared up at her, trying to think of a way to communicate without speaking. I couldn't move my hands, but I drew my feet up toward me and tried to scratch letters into the dirt with the toe of my boot.

              Sachiko watched me for a moment and then kneeled down and scraped together a small heap of dirt. As I traced each letter, she copied me. Soon Sachiko had traced out one word: KEY.

              She nodded and then raised her eyebrows. But I had to shake my head—I didn't know where it was. Then I spelled out the word SWORD.

              Sachiko nodded once more and then disappeared from the room so quickly that I never even saw her go.

              She was gone a long time, and when she did return, her hands were empty. She stared at me with a mute appeal in her eyes.

              I understood, and I nodded. Sachiko sat down beside me, and the two of us watched the light in the cave as it faded away.

              Eventually, we heard sounds of someone stirring in the other room, and Sachiko stood and placed a hand on my shoulder before disappearing again. I understood that she wasn't leaving—she had just gone to find a better spot to hide and watch. It wouldn't do us any good if she got captured, too.