Dragon Down (10 page)

Zane and I inched carefully into the room. It only took us a moment to see there wasn
’t anyone else in the room. I couldn’t speak for Zane but, I thought we should gag or stun the vampire. I didn’t want him to alert his friends. The thought of getting close enough, to actually gage the vampire, was honestly enough to make me want to gag. I wouldn’t get anywhere near his incisors, not if I could help it.

Instead
, I mumbled a chant and set my bracelets to stun. I raised my arms, pointed, and fired. The vampire sagged softly down against his restraints. Zane nodded and we headed back toward the main cavern. Tokem was nowhere in sight so, we moved cautiously down the tunnel. The light was growing marginally lighter. We must be nearing an opening of some sort. That is when I heard the familiar crashing of the surf. Damn, I hated these caves with their underground entrances, almost as much as I hated their tight, claustrophobic inducing ambience. The thought of me pulling myself back through the tunnel was just not an option. Once, was definitely enough. I just might have to blast my way out, I was a wizard on the edge.

Fortunately, i
t didn’t look like there were any more vampires. Tokem was returning and he would report what he’d found. Then we could get out of this place. It was giving me the creeps.

“I didn
’t find anything else. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that we aren’t alone. This cave opens just to the east of the fort. I looked but, I didn’t see any vessels in the area.”

“I guess we should question our vampire.
Lauren, how long do you think it will take him to come around?”

“I just stunned him
. My guess is he’s awake by now. Why don’t you see if you can get him to talk? I want to check this plac
e
out and see if they left anything.”

“Okay, but be careful. They may have set some traps.”

“I can take care of myself,” I snapped.

Zane shrugged and walked back up the tunnel. I looked around the large cavern. I wanted to see if there were any other smaller caves leading off this one. Walking down to the edge of the water
, I looked for any signs of resent activity. The tide had coming in so, it likely erased any sign of recent activity.

I looked around and thought I heard a noise. What was it? A scratching
or scrapping sound and it was coming from somewhere to my left. It was probably a rat. I just hoped it wasn’t a two legged one. I set my bracelet to stun and moved forward. I was on a ledge about two feet above the water. As I moved along the ledge, I felt fresh air on my cheek. Yes, it was a cool breeze coming from the rocks in front of me.

Kneel
ing, I listened. There it was again a scraping or scratching sound. It was louder now and if it was a rat it was the Godzilla of the rodent world. Moving as quietly as possible, I inched toward the sound. That is when I noticed an opening or slot between the rocks and I squeezed through it. I was now standing on another ledge above the water, but this time I was standing outside. Thank you, Jesus. I was inhaling clean fresh air. Yes, I wouldn’t have to swim or crawl my way out. That’s when I saw what was causing the scraping sound. There was a dingy tied to the rocks near me. I dropped down to my knees and took my bracelet off stun. The only sounds I could hear were the thunderous crashing of the surf, over the rocks around me. Truthfully, I doubted that I could’ve heard anything over the roar of the surf. Blackbeard and his men could’ve been imbibing, wenching and singing on the beach below me and I wouldn’t have heard them.

I scrambled down the near
est rocks to get a better look at the boat. The rocks were slippery and I nearly went down. I fell hard, landing on the rock the dinghy was tied to. Then I heard the wailing sound of a banshee or God only knows what. I jumped up and spun around. Nothing, where in the hell had that sound come from.

Then I heard it again
. It was directly behind me. I threw myself to the ground and rolled. There beside the rock stood…honestly, I had no idea. It looked like the Jolly Green Giant except it had seaweed for hair. It screeched, emitting a loud, mournful wail and lumbered toward me. I fired at it but, the creature seemed to be absorbing the energy from my bracelet. It must be too wet to burn. I pulled my automatic from my holster and fired. The slugs appeared to slow the creature slightly. Unfortunately, everywhere I hit it, it oozed green slime. The slime burned everything it hit. The green slimy giant must have had acidic blood. The rocks and sand that were coated by the slime bubbled, smoked and melted. Damn this thing wasn’t going to be easy to kill. I sprang to my feet and ran. I needed to buy myself some time to figure this out.

The ledge and the area around it were narrowing. It didn
’t look like I could go much further in this direction. I’d either have to find a way to stop this thing or jump. There was no way in hell I was jumping, in the ocean not when I couldn’t see the bottom. I needed a plan B and I needed it now. Whatever this thing was it was an elemental of some sort or the other. That is when I got it. I couldn’t burn it, but maybe I could freeze it. I raised my staff, pointed it at the creature and called out an enchantment. Nothing happened at first and I was afraid I had left something out. Then I noticed tiny crystals begin to form on the creature. It was working unfortunately, I wasn’t sure it would be in time. The creature reached for me and I kicked it hard in the face.

It grunted
, reaching for me again and just when I was certain I was a dead women it froze solid. I slumped to the ground. That was way too close. I couldn’t be sure how long the spell would hold and I didn’t want to be anywhere near it when it thawed. I scrambled up and ran back toward the cave. I was so worried about the creature I nearly ran head long into Zane.

“Lauren, what in the world was that thing? Are you all right?”

“I haven’t got a clue. I heard a scrapping sound and followed the sound out here. That is when I saw the boat. I was walking down to check it out when I slipped and fell. The rock I landed on turned into that thing. I tried to fry it, but it was too wet to burn. Right before I ran out of real estate, I froze it.”

Zane let out a low whistle and pulled out his sword. He walked back to Popsicle man and cut his head off. It splintered into a million ice shards and disintegrated. He wiped his blade on the sand, sheathed it, and walked back
toward me.

“You
’re lucky, that was a draug. They inhabit the rocks along the enchanted waterline. If you had been knocked unconscious, it would have killed you.”

I shivered, but said nothing. It seemed like one unple
asant surprise after another.

Chapter Ten

“Lauren, we need to question the vampire. It might provide us with some valuable information. Or it could lead us into a trap.”

“It definitely has no reason to help us. We can probably give it some incentive to help either way, it is worth a try.”

We walked the rest of the way in silence. As we headed down the smaller tunnel I could smell the vampires. Vampires have a distinctive odor and this one was no exception. Whatever it did to get chained in this cave must have been serious. I hoped it would give us some answers. I illuminate
d the cavern with my bracelet. I dimmed the bracelet slightly, so that it didn’t glare in the vampire’s eyes. Then I unhooked my canteen and threw it toward the vampire. The vampire grabbed the canteen and drank the contents hungrily. It must have been left to die without food or water. When it had drained the canteen it sat back against the wall and stared at us.

“Thank you for the water. Why are you helping me? You
’re dressed to kill vampires, not to help them.”

“You are correct, but we need some questions answered. I have no interest in killing you unless you provoke us.”

The vampire studied me for several minutes before he spoke. I guessed he was reviewing his options, which were understandably limited.

“As you can plainly see
, I’m in no position to threaten anyone. Ask your questions. I’ll answer them if I can. I’m dead either way and you have shown me some kindness.”

Zane pushed another canteen to the vampire. He nodde
d and sipped from the canteen. I waited for him to satisfy his thirst before I spoke.

“We are looking for the Paradise Islands. Is this one of them?”

“This is one of the lesser Paradise Islands. The White Court seldom if ever uses it, which is why I was left here to die. The enchantments conceal it and it is unlikely I’d have been found. The vampires that left me here were hunting their captives before returning to their court.”

“What court were those vampires? We killed
them and if I had to guess I say that they were Red Court vampires.”

“You would be correct. They d
idn’t have my obvious good looks and charm.”

The vampire smiled slightly and I wasn
’t sure what to think. A vampire with a sense of humor wasn’t something I ran across often.

“All right Prince Charming
, what court do you belong to?”

“The Black Court or I
did until I was exiled.”

“Then why were there Red Court vampires involved?”

The vampire looked at me like I was a dim wit. Not coincidentally, I had a number of professors in college that gave me the same look. My head snapped back toward the vampire when I heard a chuckle. He was laughing at me.

“Excuse my rudeness. There is a hierarchy among the vampire courts. The lowest court is the White Court. They do everyone
’s bidding. The Jade Court is the next step up, followed by the Red Court. The highest court is the Black Court. This is why the Red Court was instructed to exile me. My own court couldn’t do it.”

Zane looked from the vampire to me before he spoke. “Are you a member of the royal family?”

The vampire did not answer right away. He looked pained or maybe I was reading too much into his silence.

“I was the nephew of the Prince of the Black Court. My father was the older brother of the Prince.”

I let out a low whistle. My mind raced with all the ways this vampire might help us. Banished or not, he would have information from the highest source. I had to find a way to convince him to help us.

“May I ask why you were banished? In our world
, you might be sanctioned, but you wouldn’t be left to die.”

“I brought disgrace on the royal family
’s name. I am or was the man in charge of the royal guard. I was escorting a prisoner to the tribunal when he escaped. No one has ever been able to flee the inner sanctum of the Black Court. I disgraced my family.”

No one spoke for some time. I wasn
’t sure what was going through Zane’s mind or the vampire’s. I was trying to think of a reason, any reason why the vampire should help us or would help us.

Zane walked up to the vampire, kneel
ing to look it in the eye. He’s had more guts than brains. I couldn’t back him up without the risk of killing him by mistake.

“Vampire, would you be willing to help us for your freedom? I know your family is dead and that you have no one to turn to.”

The vampire lifted his eyes to look at Zane. “How did you know?”

“The council has extensive information on each court. I know that the custom in the Black Court is to kill the family of anyone accused of high treason. Then the traitor is exiled
, knowing that their actions caused the death of their family.”

The vampire slumped forward. His hair hung limply over his face. It looked like he might be crying if vampires cry. He was silent so
long I thought that he wasn’t going to answer.

“What help do you want?”

“I need to find the Red Court and Black Court. The islands are enchanted and we need to find them. We are searching for someone that might have been taken prisoner.”

“I
’ll help you because I was framed. There is a traitor in the court. There has to be. I did not let the prisoner escape. I can’t save my family, but I can clear my family’s name. But I will not kill a vampire or help defend you.”

“Fair enough,” I said. “Do you have a name?”

“Corbin. And may I ask your names?”

“My name is Lauren and his name is Zane. Now cover your face and I
’ll remove the shackles. It may get a little warm, but I won’t burn you. Corbin, if you do anything at all to make me question your intentions, I’ll kill you first and ask questions later.”

The vampire turned his face to the wall and held his hands away from his body. I placed my staff on the chains and chanted. A small blue flame flew from the tip of the staff into the chain. A second later the chain fell to the ground. Corbin rubbed his wrists
before he held his hands out in front for us to see. Then he got slowly to his feet. Staggering slightly, he steadied himself against the wall.

“Is there an easier way out of this place?
I mean one that doesn’t require me to crawl or swim?”

“If the tide is out
, we can walk along the shore. Otherwise I do not know of any other way.”

We followed Corbin back toward the cave
’s ocean entrance. Zane followed several paces behind Corbin with his weapons drawn, while I had my staff trained on his back. Trust had to be earned. When we reached the waterline the tide did seem to be lower. Corbin walked out into the surf, which was at his knees. Fortunately, I’m taller so, I didn’t get too wet. We followed him around to our left and a few minutes later, I could see the fort above us. Hopping from boulder to boulder we made our way up to the fort where I could see Hans huddled by the fire.

“Corbin, we rescued a prisoner. We
’ll need to speak with him or he’ll freak out when he see you.”

“I understand and I need to feed. I
’ve been down there for at least two weeks.”

“Zane you go and fill Hans and Tokem in. I
’ll keep Corbin company.”

Zane nodded and continued on to the fort.

“We haven’t seen any signs of life anywhere on this island. I don’t know what you propose to eat and I’m off limits.”

“I figured as much. However,
there is plenty of game here. It’s enchanted. Please allow me.”

I nodded and watched as he closed his eyes and sniffed the air. He stood like that for several minutes without moving.

“This way. There are some deer over the rise. I’ll tell you where to aim and once you’ve killed them, they’ll become visible.”

I was skeptical, but I followed Corbin. It took us ten minutes to get to the invisible deer. If I thought I was crazy before this topped it all.

“Lauren, get ready to fire. Aim about three feet to the right of that pine tree. There is a buck and two doe’s over there. I’ll let you know when you’ve killed them.”

I raised my arms and pointed my Glock in the direction Corbin
indicated. When he was satisfied I was aiming in the correct direction, he told me to fire. I squeezed off five rounds and Corbin told me to stop. He need not have bothered. The sight of three dead deer materializing before my eyes got my attention.

Corbin ran over to the dead deer. “Do you mind if I drain them? I haven
’t eaten in a while and you only want the meat.”

I nodded and moved away while he ate. When he finished
, he slung two of the deer over his shoulder and I pulled the third one behind me. Hans and Zane took over, once we reached camp. I took Corbin to the jail cells and locked him in. Even if his intentions were pure, he was still a hungry vampire.

The venison was heavenly. We hadn
’t eaten anything but dry tack since we left the kingdom. I ate until I thought I’d burst and then I slept. I’d drawn the final watch.