Arundia Returns Read online

  Silence drifted up from the bowels of the house on air rancid with the coppery smell of spilled blood. Downstairs held more piles of empty vampire and Guardian clothes and Warrior bodies. No huvams lay among the dead. I breathed a silent sigh of relief. More than any time since The Time of Hunting, our People needed the Powers that came to huvams in their twenty-fourth year.

  The five of us met up in front of the wall that held the door to the hidden passage below the island. Deep inside the volcanic bedrock of the island burrowed natural tunnels and caves stocked with supplies. Other than the door, there was only one other way out of the labyrinth--a tunnel that led to a tiny cave. The mouth of the cave provided an exit from the island, but only at low tide.

  The normally locked door stood ajar. “Guess we should’ve come straight here. Apparently, there wasn’t time to lock the door from inside.” Sheena sourly eyed the partially open door.

  Gregory kicked the door wider. Head cocked, he listened. With a shrug of his eyebrows, he stepped into the darkness.

  I followed close behind. The stygian blackness of the tunnel quickly closed around us as the circle of pale light from the basement room faded in the rear. Sheena--the only full human among us--flicked on a flashlight. The bluish LED light shone only inches ahead of her feet.

  I fell in behind Gregory. Behind me, the pat of Sheena’s footfalls sounded like a bunch of teenage humans storming through a house. At least, Kira’s half-vampire status granted her the ability to walk in graceful silence.

  The tunnel led to one of the larger caves. The stench of brimstone seared my nostrils. Pieces of burned cloth testified to the magic used in the fight. My heart jolted into my throat. Somewhere in the caverns a magic wielder waited. There was no way to tell whether we faced a witch or a warlock, or perhaps a sorcerer. A bad feeling skittered across my shoulders like a bunch of ants scrambling for their nest. Right then I wished that Alexis with her Power had remained on the island. I shoved the selfish thought aside.

  Three lava tubes branched off the cave. One led to an open pit. No one had been able to locate the bottom of the pit. Another one led to a cul-de-sac. Only one slanted deeper beneath the island and joined the tangle of additional tunnels and caves.

  Gregory hurried down the tunnel that opened into a cavernous space. The coppery stench of blood mixed with the smell of charred meat and singed hair. Fire blasted bodies of Warriors dotted the uneven rock floor. Piles of Guardian uniforms lay amidst the bodies. Swords and knives, some still clutched in rigid fingers, glinted among the bodies and clothes.

  Would we reach the end and find any of our People still alive?

  Rage narrowed my vision into a corridor of red. I snarled. My control broke and I raced forward. No! Not again! I can’t lose Ariel again!

  Aretha jumped toward me. I easily eluded her grasp. Gregory spun and spread his arms, but I blasted past his embrace and raced into the darkness. The tunnels twisted and turned; snaked this way then that way until they finally dumped me into a cave edged with water on one side.

  Guardian Heloise stood next to a tall, thin man in black robes. He stood barely foot from the edge of the tiny cove. A cruel smile flashed across his face. Dark water lay like an obsidian mirror at his back.

  Heloise flashed white fangs in a face speckled with fresh blood. Her long, mouse brown hair tangled around her shoulders, matted by blood and bits of humans.

  Even from a distance, the scent of dead wantons and Warriors wafted from her. Wantons had always smelled like roses and lilacs to me while the Warriors smelled of oak and sage.

  “Who are you?” I snarled at the strange male as I stalked to the middle of the cave floor. “Where are my People?”

  “I'm your worst nightmare, First Councilwoman.” His melodious voice felt incongruent with the blood and the destruction that he’d left in his wake.

  Sheena stepped up beside me. “What kind of magic user are you?”

  The man tilted his head. “I am so much more than a mere Magic User, Warrior. I am a sorcerer. Unlike the pitiful magic user Alexis Night Runner, I am strong.” His eyes searched the cave. “Where is she? I had hoped to meet her and to end her contemptible existence.”

  Sheena’s curled in contempt. “Her strength is far greater than yours, Sorcerer. She doesn’t need to steal the blood of innocents.”

  He spread his arms. “If she is so powerful let her show herself.”

  “Enough!” I slashed the air with one hand. “Where are my People?”

  He nudged his head backward to indicate the cove. “They leapt into the water.” He shifted his gaze toward Gregory. “Your Guardians are cowards, General. They jumped in with the humans and the huvams. I had expected more from them.”

  “My Guardians are not cowards, except for the one who stands next to you.” Eyes a golden blaze, Gregory leveled a stare at Heloise.

  Heloise haughtily lifted her chin. “I tire of taking orders from a general who must kowtow to a human and who is led by a vampire that who protects humans to the detriment of her own People.”

  “You are a convert to Arundia’s perverted philosophy?” Gregory asked in a dangerously low voice.

  She snorted a laugh. “Hardly. I follow one much greater than Arundia will ever become. I follow Matriarch H...”

  “Silence, fool!” The robed man commanded.

  Eyes narrowed, Heloise’s head snapped toward the man, but she couldn’t hold his gaze. Instead, she glared at Gregory. “Do you know how long I worked to get placed in your stupid Guardians? Do you have any clue how I hated...no...despised every moment?”

  The sorcerer laid a hand on her shoulder in a patronizing gesture. “Be at peace, Heloise.”

  She started to pull away then winced as if his hand pained her. Her head swiveled to glare at him. Her mouth opened to reveal fangs gleaming in the muted light that spilled from the magical lanterns along the walls. “Take care, Sorcerer.” This time she succeeded in stepping from beneath his touch.

  Aretha caught Gregory’s eye. He gave a slow blink. Without warning, she lunged toward the sorcerer. Focused on Gregory, he couldn’t turn in time to face Guardian Aretha.

  He snapped a fireball at her, but she threw herself to the ground then rolled back to her feet, hardly slowing her charge toward him. The fireball hit the back wall of the cave. An explosion of sharp shards and lethal chunks of rocks spewed across the cave.

  A few shards pierced my back. I hardly noticed them as I darted to the lip of the cove and dropped to my knees. From the corner of my vision, I monitored the fight.

  A second fireball grazed Aretha’s shoulder as she closed in on the sorcerer. She staggered, but didn’t fall. The momentary halt in her forward drive gave the sorcerer time to aim. His third fireball exploded against her chest. As green fire enveloped the Guardian, gun shots ricocheted off the cave walls.

  The sorcerer’s head exploded in flying fragments of brain and bone. His body crumpled to the cave floor.

  When Aretha had charged toward the sorcerer, Gregory had leapt toward Heloise. Teeth bared, she met his attack, slashing wildly with her sword. He darted inside her reach, slapped her arm aside and then clamped his hands to either side of her head. Heloise’s screams filled the air and bounced off the hard walls. She sank slowly to her knees in front of him as he exerted more Power.

  Heloise’s screams faded to background noise as I stared into the opaque water of the cove. Eyes closed, I sent my mind toward the waters. Silence.

  Squeezing my eyes shut, I forced all of my Energy into Calling. Surely one of my People could hear, even if they were miles out on the Sound. Only the dying Guardian Heloise’s weakening pleas echoed off the walls of my mind. Exhausted and heartsick, I slumped on the floor, hands braced against my thighs.

  Sheena came and stood behind me. The smell of gunfire drifted off her skin. “First Councilwoman, let me lend you my strength; perhaps, then your Call will be heard.”

  I peered up with grateful eyes. As the Warrior-psychic’s str
ong hands settled on my shoulders, I gathered Power to my core. Using ghostly hands, I melded the golden strands of my Call into a thick rope bridge. More energy, I needed more energy. As I sucked the needed energy from Sheena, I felt her life force momentarily flicker. She would die within seconds if I didn’t release her. As I began to loosen my hold, a new wave of energy pulsed through our connection.

  Flush with Power, I flung the mental rope bridge out into the space that lived between sentient beings. Nothing. I forced more energy into the rope until emerald green haloed the golden strands. The rope glowed through the darkness and the cold.

  A slight tug. My heart lurched within my chest. Then nothing. Before my Spirit could spiral into dark despair, another slight tug on the rope bridge came. I felt the hesitancy; the question that inquired are you friend or are you foe.

  Pulling harder on the Energy flowing into me, I sent warmth through the rope; the warmth of welcome; the warmth of love.

  The tug came again; stronger this time. I fed more warmth into the bridge until my knees and legs felt frozen to the cold rock of the island. Still, I fed that warmth with the living Energy that flowed into and through me.

  The next tug was strong.

  I opened my eyes. Strange bug-eyed, hump-backed creatures bobbed in the water. I blinked. The faces of several Guardians appeared along with more bug-eyed, hump-backed creatures. Slowly the creatures made their way toward the lip of the cave. Guardians swam around and beside them.

  As Ariel lifted the goggles from her face, I collapsed and fell toward the dark waters. Gregory’s strong arms caught me then blackness swirled over my mind.

  Chapter 15

  Alexis Night Runner

  I handed Ariel a cup of hot tea as the child sat next to her mother’s bed. “Is she going to be all right?” Tears stood in her eyes.

  Placing a hand on her shoulder, I forced a smile. “Of course, she is! She’ll be fine. She’s just tired.”

  “What about Kira and Sheena? Are they going to be all right, too?”

  “Absolutely.” I prayed to Goddess that I wasn’t lying. Without a healer, I could only hope for the best. It had been two days and none of the three had regained consciousness. “Drink your tea. It won’t help your mother if you get sick.”

  “Vampires don’t get sick,” she declared.

  I scruffled the child’s dark hair. “You’re not a vampire, yet.”

  Grudgingly, she sipped the warm liquid. I watched until every drop had been consumed and took the cup just as Ariel yawned. “Why don’t you climb up next to your mother and lie down for a bit. You’ve had a rough couple of days. Besides, people who are sleeping like your mother is can actually feel when someone cuddles against their back.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  Ariel climbed into the bed and snuggled against Serena’s back. Eyelids drifting shut, she murmured, “You won’t leave the island again while I sleep, will you?”

  Bending closer, I brushed a strand of hair off her forehead. “No, I won’t leave.”

  “Promise?”

  “I promise.”

  Within minutes she fell into a deep sleep. I tucked the blanket around her then turned to go out of the room.

  Gregory stood in the doorway. “What did you put in her tea?”

  “A mild herb to help her sleep. Poor kid’s exhausted.” I stepped out into the hall. “I never should have left here.”

  He clamped a hand on my shoulder. “You couldn’t have known this would happen. We can’t live our lives afraid or we’ll be paralyzed; unable to make any decisions without endlessly second-guessing ourselves.”

  Hands shoved in my jeans’ pockets, I wished I could accept the comfort of his words. I couldn’t. No use saying that, though. As we headed downstairs, I switched subjects. “How’s Warrior Melissa?”

  “I changed her IV and she seems to be resting well. She’s pretty sedated on pain meds.” Shortening his steps, he walked beside me. “I worry how she’ll deal with losing most of her arm.”

  A sigh wound up from my gut and eased out. “Melissa has always been an optimist. No doubt she’ll realize that her worth didn’t lay in one of her body parts. At any rate, the Warriors will help her to adjust. What I'm worried about are our three sleeping beauties.”

  We walked into the living room. When I had arrived from the panther village hours after Nikki phoned me that day, blood and ashes, and broken furniture littered the rooms. Now only faint traces of the coppery smell of blood, and the smell of charred meat topped with singed hair lingered. Most of the physical remnants of the disaster had been cleaned up, as well.

  It didn’t seem to matter. Every time I walked into the living room where the majority of the fighting in the house had occurred, I saw it all again. Would there every come a time when I would once more feel safe in my home? “Changing the subject--how in Goddess’ Name did you not pick up on Heloise? You did that mind meld thing with all the Guardians weeks ago. You didn’t skip her for some reason, did you?”

  “I wanted to talk to you about that.” A grim look settled on his face, making his features appear chiseled out of cold granite. “Let’s go out to the kitchen and make a pot of coffee.”

  Uneasy, I slid a sideways look at him. “That bad, huh?” When he didn’t answer, I said, “I’ll make the coffee.”

  Coffee pot gurgling, I leaned against the counter and crossed my arms. “Hit me with the bad news.”

  “While we wait for the coffee, let’s talk about Heloise. The sorcerer placed a very effective--for want of a better word--screen around Heloise’s mind. When Sheena killed him, the screen crumbled. Once I could access her mind, I could read her and then destroy her.”

  “Which you did. I want to know what you found, but first explain this screen to me.” I grabbed a couple of mugs from the cupboard, pulled the partially filled carafe from beneath the stream of coffee and filled the cups. Setting one in front of Gregory, I took mine and sank onto the hard seat of the chair across from him.

  He took a long draw of the extra strong coffee then put the cup down and met my gaze. “I don’t know what it really was, Alexis.” His gaze shifted to a spot high on the wall behind my left shoulder as he considered what he would say. After a long moment, his focus returned to me. “It was an invisible, solid barrier that separated the part of the mind that I could See and the part of the mind that remained Unseen. Because the barrier was invisible to my probing, I didn’t realize I was only accessing part of Heloise’s mind.”

  “You only Saw what he wanted you to See.” The magnitude of our problems hit me and I slumped in the chair. “Damn, Gregory, what kind of Power are we up against? From what you’ve told me, that guy was way out of my league. He would’ve easily fried my young ass.”

  I tapped my lips with a loosely fisted hand then let my arm drop to the table. “Good thing Aretha distracted him long enough for Sheena to get in a clear head shot. I'm going to start insisting that all of the Warriors carry handguns loaded with mushrooming bullets.”

  Gregory bobbed his head in agreement. “Sheena’s cool thinking and good marksmanship saved us. As for what kind of Power our enemies have at their disposal...to be honest, I'm afraid to contemplate the answer to that question.”

  “Did you garner any new information?”

  “Nothing that we didn’t already know or suspect. Helena’s behind Arundia. There are other attack units poised against us. The only real news was the timeframe for her recruitment. Arundia recruited her three years ago; a few months before she joined the Guardians.”

  I chewed my lower lip until I tasted blood. “Matriarch Belora’s death was one of their objectives, wasn’t it?”

  “I’m afraid so, Alexis. There had been bad blood between those two since before I was Changed. I don’t know why.”

  For a while we sat with nothing more than the sounds of coffee being sipped filling the kitchen. Finally, he lifted troubled eyes. “Do you think it was necessary for Serena to
Call Ariel like she did? Wouldn’t the sorcerer’s spell that had them trapped underwater have died with him?”

  “No. He’d set the spell against the water, rather than against the stone of the cave. Spells shatter when a Magic User or, in this case, a sorcerer dies if they’ve been set against something solid, like a wall or in the physical brain of a person.

  “If they’re set against something that acts like a liquid, except for the air--no spell can be set against the air itself--then it remains. Don’t ask me why. That’s what Matriarch told me. Since it acted like an invisible wall and roof, they would have had to swim deep enough to get below the edge of the spell wall and then swim out from beneath it.

  “The humans and the huvams were sharing tanks already and faced running out of oxygen; and they had no idea how deep they would have had to swim to get below the spell wall. If only there had been some way to avoid jumping into the water.” I rubbed my hand down my face, wishing I could scrub away the fear that kept me awake at night.

  Gregory leveled a steady gaze on me. “Nikki didn’t have any other options, Alexis. Her fast thinking kept them all alive until we arrived.”

  “Yeah, I know that. To be honest, faced with a magic-user of unknown Power, unable to gauge what he might be capable of doing, it’s the same choice I would have made.” Wearily, I hunched over my cup.

  He changed the topic with a slight smile in his voice. “What in the world possessed you to hide those air tanks underneath the waters of that cove? Did you expect to do some sneaky diving?”

  “When Serena was missing for those weeks and Nikki became Ariel’s Regent, she worried that we didn’t have a foolproof method of getting Ariel to safety if the island was invaded. This was especially true if the water was at high tide and the arch that leads out of the cove was submerged. Swimming underwater seemed like a great solution. I wish I’d thought to hide more tanks below the water’s surface.”