A hellhound knocked him flat, but he sliced open the beast's belly as he went down. When it lifted its muzzle to scream, he slit its throat. Rolling, he came up and slammed one arrow into its right eye and left it for Fen to finish off as he raced to protect Branislava.
Fen used a hellhound to leapfrog, rolling over its back to slam a silver stake deep into the chest of the Sange rau Zev had taken to the ground. As he rushed past the thrashing hellhound with one arrow in its eye and burned coat, he thrust a second arrow deep into the left eye and kept running.
Dimitri came after him, using the silver sword, slashing downward in a long arc to sever the head of the Sange rau both Fen and Zev had wounded. The hellhound was down, but the one Fen had rolled over, burning its back with the hyssop oil, was snarling and ready for him, its great jaws wide open, displaying the wicked set of teeth. A chunk of flesh hung from the side of one jaw, along with strings of venom mixed with blood.
Dimitri didn't bother to slow down--he shoved the long blade of his sword coated with hyssop oil right down the gruesome throat and out the back of the massive head. They stood together, Fen, Dimitri and Zev, Razvan fighting his way to them, so the four stood back-to-back, prepared to keep everything and anything off of Branislava.
Dimitri's eyes narrowed. Where is Skyler? he demanded, trying to see everything on the fierce battlefield.
Tatijana is missing as well, Fen added, his heart in his throat.
Razvan indicated the huge hole in the center of the field where the three women had disappeared.
Xaviero sent a worm for them. He backed away from the hole, although it was the hardest thing he'd ever done. We have to guard Branislava. Without her, we're lost, and now both mages can work to kill her. Trust Ivory. She's dealt with these worms and will bring them back safely.
He closed his eyes briefly. Ivory, be safe. Come back to me.
21
Ivory bit back an exclamation of pain as the worm's teeth closed around her. It's going to take us down into the hole. Don't fight it. The more you fight, the more venom it will inject into your body. No matter how much it hurts, or how frightened you are, stay very still, she warned the others.
It's taking us up, not down, straight to that foul fog, Skyler hissed, trying to keep still when she felt as if the thing was sawing her in half.
It's rising fast, but it will go straight down again. Just hold on. Ivory injected calm into her voice. She'd seen the worms before, fought them, taken back Razvan from one.
Tatijana shuddered. It's taking me back to the mage's lair. I'd rather die than go back.
Don't fight, Ivory reiterated. I know what to do. Just stay calm. Once we enter the hole, the worm can move fast underground. The tunnel is already dug and it just has to slide through. The ride will be much smoother. I've got some weapons we can use, but when it hits back to ground, it's going to hurt like hell. I can't risk losing them.
The worm shot up about thirty feet, just enough for them to feel the foulness of the fog overhead and hear the screams and wails of the spirits trapped in the black smoke. It paused there for a moment and then backtracked with tremendous speed, down into the earth where it was most comfortable.
I tried shifting, Tatijana said. It's impossible.
The worm has a venom that prevents that from happening. I've milked these worms and used the venom along with my own chemicals to improve the solution. I dip my weapons into the compound before I go hunting to prevent vampires from shifting. Ivory did her best to sound matter-of-fact.
Now that they were sliding through the air at a dizzying rate of speed, the hold on them eased. For all its ferocity, the worm had a delicate touch when bringing prisoners to the mage. She knew what it cost both Skyler and Tatijana to stay so still within the grasp of the worm. When the teeth of the creature met flesh, it injected its venom to hold that form. Not only was it painful, it was terrifying to be dragged through a tunnel beneath the earth knowing the destination was far worse than the worm.
Skyler was very young and new to their world. Her lifemate had only just claimed her. She'd been human, living with Carpathian adopted parents who protected her from such things. Tatijana had been a prisoner nearly her entire existence in the mage laboratories. Of course she wouldn't want to return. Still, neither struggled, using tremendous discipline to do as she told them.
Fighting a worm is very dangerous. Everything about them is venomous. The spikes he uses to propel himself forward and dig are especially perilous. He has a barb on the end of his tail. When you do get loose, stay far away from that.
Education was always the key to success. The more information one had, the more power to defeat. She eased a crystal-centered circular weapon from her belt. Very gingerly she pushed one into Tatijana's hands and a second into Skyler's, before pulling a third out for herself.
His mouth contains double rows of serrated teeth, and inside are sacs of venom. We're going to have to go inside. If you find yourself outside of him, remember his tail can also break every bone in your body with one swipe and his hide is so tough it will slice your skin if you come into contact with it.
I've seen them, Tatijana admitted. Xavier fed them humans.
Skyler shuddered and then had to suppress a cry of pain.
I'm going to disorient the worm with sound. Try to close your ears. The vibration alone will hurt your insides, but the sound itself is most troublesome. I know of no other way to distract it. It will thrash a bit and then open its mouth. That's what we want and we'll have only a couple of seconds. I can't stress that enough. He'll recover fast. Push the poison from your body and shift to molecules. Skyler, have you ever done that? Pushed the poison or shifted into something that small?
She had to know if her young stepdaughter could do such a thing on her own.
Absolutely, Ivory. I can do this. I will do this.
The young voice quavered, but Ivory heard the absolute steel. Are you both ready? The moment the mouth opens and you can, follow me inside. Keep your weapon ready and don't touch anything inside.
She sent up a prayer that they would make it out, and then, using a pitch that caused vertigo and notes that disoriented and vibrated the very insides of the worm, she began to chant in a singsong voice.
I call to the element of air, used for sound,
Drum to the heartbeat of evil that digs through the ground.
Pitch, harmonics, combine and align,
Fight by attacking the warp evil's mind.
She had fought the worms several times, but it was always with her heart in her throat, a terrible, frightening fear that was nearly overwhelming. She had a deep faith and she prayed urgently not to be abandoned, not when she had two other lives depending on her.
She continued to sing, but the rhythm of her song changed as Mother Earth responded to her discordant notes, changing the very vibrations within the soil, drawing it inward. The ground shivered with the sound, trembled as the wave of sound went crashing through it. The worm tube began to collapse in on itself. Soil, rock and debris fell around them, tumbling into the tube.
A roar of thunder boomed down the hole just behind the worm and it hesitated, slowing almost to a stop. The entire body shuddered and shivered. Ivory sang again, the pitch reverberating through the dirt, the sound hurting all three of them right along with the worm. The notes crashed through their bodies, shook their minds and turned their insides into a quivering mass of congealed gelatin.
Disoriented, the worm halted all progress, its mouth yawning wide in a terrible shriek that resounded through the ground, releasing all three at the same time.
Ivory pushed the poison from her body and shifted to vapor, still holding the weapon so that it seemed to float through the air. Hurry. Hurry. Keep that weapon close and follow me inside. She didn't have time to look to see if they followed, but she sensed them behind her as she streamed inside the open mouth of the worm.
Both Skyler and Tatijana could feel the vibration of the disc in their hands as
they followed Ivory deep into the creature's mouth. They went past the double rows of what looked like shark teeth, continued past dripping fangs and thick pockets of amber-colored venom, down into the very throat of the worm.
Ivory had constructed the disc of natural elements, everything gifted from Mother Earth herself, minerals and gems to form the weapon. She had used it many times against the worm, and like always before, it felt a natural part of her. She could tell Skyler and Tatijana were both daughters of the Earth in the way they held the weapon as well.
You're looking for scar tissue somewhere inside the throat. The worms have only two vulnerable spots and the second is deep inside the body where we definitely don't want to go. Whatever you do, don't scrape up against the walls of this worm. Don't touch anything because everything inside is thick with its venom. The scar tissue is where the master can attach himself and give instructions.
It was dark and dank, very humid inside the throat of the worm. Great streams of amber hung like icicles from the roof of the mouth and dripped continuously. Membranes were covered by strange high ridges, deep valleys of scarring and large misshapen bumps, above and all around them.
The worm shrieked again, the sound echoing up the throat, nearly throwing them against the walls. The creature grew frantic as the tunnel continued to collapse, fighting to make it through to the other side by wiggling, bucking and even whirling like a drill.
The three women searched for the telltale spot inside the desperate worm. As the creature spun madly in an attempt to get out of the collapsing tunnel, venom sprayed around its throat. Only the fact that the three women were in the form of vapor saved them from being doused.
Is this it? Skyler asked.
Tatijana had stayed close to her, hoping to protect her if everything went bad fast, not that she could imagine much worse. She peered at the strange markings on the inside of the worm's throat. Small raised wounds and blemishes were scattered in a pattern of seven whorls and deep circular indentations, marks she was certain the mage had made.
Skyler's right. This has to be his mark, Ivory. There's a fresh wound here.
Ivory inspected the small ring. Perfect. Good eyes, Skyler. This disc is iolite, she identified. Already there was a thin thread of blue-violet light emanating from the disc.
It's a violet stone that enhances vision on the astral realm, Tatijana explained to Skyler just in case she didn't know.
Very volatile under the right circumstances, Ivory added. Do exactly as I do and then get out of here fast.
Ivory didn't wait, shimmering into her natural form, careful to avoid the strings of amber venom seeping in long strings from the roof of the mouth as she hovered in the center of the worm's throat.
Skyler gasped as fibers reached for Ivory, like tentacles following the source of heat. Ivory was fast, dodging them and using the light like one of her arrows, striking deep, penetrating into the worm's tough wall. When she let go of the disc, the weapon followed the light, crashing hard into the pattern of scars.
Both Skyler and Tatijana followed suit without hesitation, releasing first the light like a spear and then the disc, nearly simultaneously. All three weapons pulsed with light and then burst into a violet wash that bathed the walls of the worm's throat in vivid color. A shrill, penetrating sound followed, the piercing notes threatening to destroy all sense, so that all three hastily muted the volume.
Hurry, hurry, Ivory urged, rushing toward the mouth of the worm.
The giant cavernous body of the creature rolled again. Bucked harder. Began to thrash violently. Tatijana and Skyler kept up with Ivory, dodging the venom and avoiding touching the walls of the spiraling worm. Condensation formed, an eerie haze when the violet light spread like a smoky red tide staining everything in its path a bluish purple.
The three women hovered just behind the double rows of serrated teeth. The sense of urgency was strong in all of them, as if they shared one mind--and one goal.
The worm rocked violently again, thrashing as more smoky violet light poured from the three discs and curled as vapor in every direction. Ivory appeared to be concentrating hard.
Three, two, one, she counted down and then burst forward.
The worm's throat contracted. Squeezed. The walls narrowed behind them. The mouth of the worm gaped open to cough, every muscle constricting violently.
Ivory didn't need to tell them to hurry. They followed her frantic attempt at reaching the surface. The ground trembled and shook with intensity as the worm thrashed, maddened by the burning in its throat. Shock waves like seismic anomalies reverberated through the ground. Dirt fell in on itself all around them.
I can get us out faster, Tatijana volunteered. Let me.
Tatijana squeezed past Ivory, shifting into her dragon form so that she could dig their way out far faster than they could. Her wedge-shaped head burst through the surface, continuing upward so that she could use her long neck and front claws to protect the others from the fierce battle taking place aboveground.
Branislava saw Tatijana's dragon head emerge from beneath the surface and something deep inside her settled. Behind Tatijana's dragon came first Ivory and then Skyler. She wasn't alone fighting a war against two, possibly three mages. Her lifemate and the others were holding off the mage's army to give her the chance to bring down Xaviero's seat of power, and she was close. She could feel it now, the taste of victory. It was all about not making a mistake.
All three women had gone through a fight, but they'd emerged alive and victorious. They hurried to make their way through the battlefield to get to her side. With the exception of Ivory, three had been born of Dragonseeker blood. Ivory was lifemate to a Dragonseeker and over the years his blood had become hers, so technically, the mages would be dealing with four powerful Dragonseeker women.
Tatijana, I need you and Ivory to take the two trees there. Branislava indicated the tree directly opposite from the one she had released. Ivory, if you could take the one at the bottom of the pentagram, that would be helpful. Skyler, you and I are going to work on the ones on either side of Xaviero. He's setting up a triangle with the fire and his brother. You can see his position.
She dug a small diagram in the dirt with the toe of her boot. I've figured out what he's doing and how he set up his power grid. We'll have to open our minds to one another for this to work properly.
Ivory was a loner. Other than Razvan she didn't share her life--or her mind--with anyone else. If this was to work, they'd have to do it together.
Ivory knew her meaning immediately and simply nodded. I am a warrior first. Whatever needs to be done, I will do.
Branislava breathed a sigh of relief. She'd put her sister closest to Ivory in order to give Ivory aid if needed. She would be positioned with Skyler. Both women were powerhouses in their own right, and all four of them connected had every chance of bringing down the two mages. She did her best to convey that confidence while she instructed them on how to peel back the layers of magic Xaviero had wrought.
Skyler's eyes widened in shock, Branislava's only warning. A massive hellhound hit her squarely in the chest driving her over backward, the gaping mouth with rows of terrible teeth driving straight for her throat. She tried to fend it off with outstretched hands, a pitiful attempt, but the hot breath blasted her in the face and what looked like a thousand teeth rushed at her. At the last moment she squirmed enough that the beast clamped his jaw down tight around her shoulder, not her throat.
She heard her own scream, a frightened, pain-filled cry, torn from her in spite of all resolution not to show Xaviero weakness. Of course he'd targeted the women. She'd been so wrapped up in her work, she hadn't thought to keep one eye out for an attack.
The hellhound ripped a great chunk of flesh from her shoulder, and clamped down a second time on the bone. His teeth seemed to meet in the middle and he shook her like a rag doll. There was no way to shift, no way to reach into her belt and retrieve the knife there.
Skyler rolled on the gro
und beneath the hellhound, a knife in her fist, blade up. She cut the legs of the beast, slicing tendons and ligaments as she rolled to the other side. As she came up in a crouch, she slammed the blade into the eye of the hellhound and leapt away from the creature before it could release Branislava and attack her.
Razvan came out of nowhere, covered in blood, his face a mask of intent, eyes blazing fire as he leapt over one hellhound, slamming his arrow deep into its eye, knocked down a Sange rau and launched himself in the air at the last moment, to land squarely on the back of the hellhound attacking Branislava.
He wrapped one arm around the beast's head, jerking it back hard as he plunged his knife into the animal's remaining good eye. The hellhound shuddered. Took a step and collapsed over the top of Branislava. Razvan pulled her out from under the heavy creature, his fingers moving over her shoulder to determine how much damage had been done.
"Thanks. Both of you." She included Skyler. "Thank you."
Razvan nodded. "It's not broken, but right now, drive out every bit of bacteria. You'll need to cauterize it as fast as possible."
It hurt, even when she did her best to push the pain away. Even pushing out the strands of bacteria was painful. Burning it clean hurt even more. She set her teeth and nodded to Razvan that she was good and could go back to work. A part of her was very grateful that he stood guard over the four of them. The thought of another hellhound getting ahold of her was terrifying. With a little shudder she turned back to begin peeling the layers back on the heavy strands of magic protecting the mage's power grid.
The fire let out a roar, as if alive, and maybe it was with the aid of the mages. The flames turned blue in the middle of the conflagration, a storm of defiant color in the midst of the raging blaze. The flames leapt higher and higher, nearly climbing to the fog ceiling, the black smoke spreading like a cancer overhead. The tremendous heat drove everyone away from the site, not because the Carpathians couldn't control their temperatures, but because the fire melted everything in its range.
The ground shifted, a jarring warning that stopped nearly everyone in their tracks. Even the few remaining hellhounds paused uneasily. Xaviero walked out of the protective circle, unbending, unafraid, a blue light glowing around him. His brother came from the other side, just as impressive, wrapped in that same mystique that set them apart from the rest of the world.