There was no further argument about which way to go, and the only words spoken were curses. Alejandro and Curtis draped Pokito's arms over their shoulders and got him on his feet. Thankfully, he was short and thin, so it didn't take much strength on their part. Elyssa and Fausta took the lead with lanterns while I handed flares to Beck and Bella in case we needed them. The passage widened in places and narrowed in others, but never opened into a monstrous cavern like the first part. It meandered in gentle curves back and forth, up and down, until I wondered if it was leading anywhere at all.
After an interminable time, I heard the patter of water somewhere ahead. The sound grew louder, more insistent, as we closed the gap between the source and us. I was grateful the corridor never branched off, especially with the sounds of snuffling pursuit echoing some undeterminable distance behind us.
Moments later, we reached a precipice spanned by a wide stone bridge. A smoothly polished ceiling arching a story or so overhead, curved down into smooth walls and blending into the misty black oblivion below. The chasm might have dropped thirty feet or three hundred feet. I couldn't tell since the light from the lanterns didn't do much to penetrate the darkness. I smelled and tasted water in the air. Its trickles and gurgles bounded off the unyielding walls and played havoc with my hearing. Beck dropped one of his pebbles over the side. I never heard it splash, nor could I have over the ambient racket.
Not much further on, the sound of rushing water grew louder until we reached a waterfall plummeting from a long gash in the ceiling. We had no way around it, only through it.
"Guess this is a trap for people using torches," Elyssa said.
"I think you're right," Bella replied, nodding in agreement. "But it won't do much against flares or flashlights."
"Unless something is wrong with the water," Fausta said, staring at it suspiciously.
Beck snorted. "Or maybe this part of the bridge is illusion and we'll fall through it."
I hadn't thought about such a possibility since the roaring beast hot on our trail had triggered my primal instinct to flee. Beck's observation reactivated the rational part of my forebrain and gave me pause just when we couldn't afford to pause. As if in answer, another roar rose above the sound of the waterfall.
We didn't have time to dither. Without another thought, I strode for the waterfall.
A black streak raced past me. Elyssa. She splashed through the waterfall, vanishing into a watery blur. Her feet abruptly went out from beneath her. Oh god. It was a trap. I didn't care. Didn't even think about it. I just ran after her at top speed. I hit the same spot and realized immediately it wasn't a trap. When my feet flew from beneath me and I slammed down on my stomach, I realized it was something far more mundane and simple: slippery, wet moss.
The entire surface was like an oil slick and utterly without friction. I had no way to stop myself. I saw Elyssa's body twisting. Saw her hands scrabble for purchase. We both hydroplaned toward the sloped and rounded edge of the bridge. No ledge to grip. No imperfections to hold. We were about to find out first-hand how deep this gorge was.
Elyssa bared her teeth in determination. Clawed at the moss. Her fingernails scraped free some of the slippery vegetation, slowing her down, but she would never stop in time. I had more momentum now than she did. In a second, I'd be on her and probably shove her right off to her death with me close behind. This was not how things were going to end.
Hyper-aware instinct took over. Time seemed to slow. I reached a hand out for hers as my body closed the distance. She seemed to see me for the first time, and slung her hand out to meet mine. Moss and grime coated her hands, made them slick, and she slipped from my fingers. Her feet were at the edge. I lunged wildly for her. This time, her hand clamped around my forearm. Her legs went over the edge. Her torso followed.
With my other hand, I jerked the knife from the sheath at my side. Offered the quickest prayer in my life to whoever was listening. Stabbed the knife into the stone with all my strength. Buried it all the way to the hilt. I jerked to a stop so suddenly I almost lost my grip. Elyssa's fingers dug hard into my arm and it burned in agony at the awkward angle. But I had her.
I had her.
I sucked in a deep breath. Tried to jerk her back up over the ledge, but even super-strength is hard to use without leverage.
Another hand gripped mine. "Let go of the knife," Fausta shouted over the roar of the waterfall.
I looked up and saw her and Beck forming a chain. I nodded, trusting the Templars had solid footing. Fausta and Beck pulled us to the opposite side of the waterfall with little effort where Elyssa and I lay on the dry stone panting and staring at the void that had almost claimed us.
"How did you do that?" Fausta asked, shaking her head at the knife embedded in the stone.
I shrugged. "I just stabbed it in. I wasn't really thinking."
"Cheap metal like that usually shatters."
"Cheap?" I glanced up at her. "What do you mean?"
She pulled out a katana. It seemed to glow in the light of the lanterns. "I'm an expert on blades. I don't know where you got the knife, but it's a piece of junk."
I didn't know how to answer her question. I really didn't want to think about it. About how stupidly my quest for love had almost ended.
After testing a cautious path through the middle of the waterfall, we helped the rest of the group across. Either the creature following us had stopped roaring, or I couldn't hear it over the waterfall. Nonetheless, I spurred the others across as quickly as was safe, hoping the creature might have the same difficulties we were having. Aside from a few indignant outbursts at the cold water, everyone made it across, lanterns intact. I couldn't help but notice what cold water did to female anatomy, especially while in a skintight Templar uniform. The results were mesmerizing. Beck's gaze was locked on Fausta's chest.
She growled and snapped him from another one of his boob trances.
Another of the bizarre lion-donkey roars echoed from what was hopefully far behind us, but it was hard to tell. We sprinted for the other end of the cavern and entered a tunnel, but slowed so Curtis and Alejandro could catch up. Neither of the sorcerers had supernatural strength or endurance, and Curtis and Alejandro were still carrying Pokito.We hadn't gone much farther before discovering a new challenge. Around the next curve, our single tunnel split into three.
"What the hell!" Beck shouted, staring ahead. "Game over, man. Game over."
"Maybe not," Bella said, pulling out her wand.
"Aren't you drained?" I asked.
"There's plenty of magic in this place," she said. "If you'll recall, I told you about the powerful ley lines running through here."
"You're recharged?"
"Perhaps enough to figure this out." She popped the micro-magic generator from the wand and examined it. Put it back in and fiddled with it. The sorceress took a deep breath and concentrated for a long moment before casting a spell. Three little hummingbirds hovered before her, their wings thrumming the air. Before I could get a good look at them, they darted away, each one taking a tunnel.
"What now?" Elyssa asked.
Bella took a seat. "We wait."
Curtis dropped to the floor muttering curses in the way only an abused Irishman could.
Fausta and Beck prowled the perimeter, swords out and ready in case the beast stalking us made an appearance. Elyssa had her own swords out, eyes wary. I felt antsy—ready to plunge into the unknown, but we were between a rock and a hard place. Running down the wrong tunnel might trap us in a dead end or drop us a thousand feet onto spikes. We had no choice but to wait and hope Bella's little spell operated quickly.
Alejandro pulled out his wand, shook it a few times, and put it back in its holster. "It's taking me forever to store any magic in my well," he said to Bella. "How did you recharge so fast?"
"A combination of age and experience," she said.
I gave them a quizzical look. "Is the well a term for your internal store of magic?"
Bella nodded. "Filling and replenishing your well is an elementary course for Arcanes. Otherwise, your magic would rely solely on external sources."
"Like when I make a circle?"
"Yes, in a way. Circles are used to make external wells, so to speak. I use them all the time to increase the power of my own spells."
"Why is it so hard for me to recharge?" Alejandro said. "There's so much power in this place, I should fill up in no time. Instead, it's like squeezing a river through a straw."
Bella offered an understanding smile. "The rune we encountered sucked us completely dry. I don't believe there was any way to cross it with stored magic. The trauma caused by such a violent leeching from our systems has had lingering effects, like an overtired muscle." She sighed and glanced over at Curtis. "I have been through great trauma before, Alejandro. I have known pain that should have stripped me of humanity. Somehow, I survived, and by surviving, increased my ability to recover from such traumas."
"What happened?" Elyssa said, her wary eyes softening as she regarded Bella.
"Life happened, dear."
Elyssa lowered her sword. "My mother went through some awful times. Some so bad she won't even tell me the whole story."
Bella reached up and patted her hand. "Many dhampyrs do, child, except perhaps those like you who are born of two loving parents instead of turned by vampires while pregnant."
I thought about the women in Franco's compound and shuddered with revulsion. "Bastards. Sick, abusive bastards."
I felt a warm hand settle on my shoulder and was surprised to see it belonged to Elyssa. She seemed just as surprised and pulled it back
The scuff of what sounded like paws echoed from somewhere behind us. Everyone tensed.
"How long does this spell take?" Beck asked, his voice tight.
She sighed. "It all depends on how long the passages are."
"Yeah? Well Mr. Snuffleupagus could show up any minute. Maybe one of you should throw up a shield."