by G. K. DeRosa
“I’ve discovered her location!” said Stellan, racing frantically down the stairs.
“Finally, let’s go!” said Roman. “Are you ready little brother?”
“Of course,” he said with a smile.
Roman took the Wilder family key out of his pocket and hung it around his neck for safekeeping.
“Don’t forget about me!” said Dani as she came running.
Stellan waved his arms and an enormous portal opened in front of them.
“Whoa, that’s pretty cool,” said Dani.
“Is everyone ready?” asked Stellan.
“Yes,” they said in unison, and they disappeared through the portal.
Chapter 19
“Ouch!” cried Dani as she skidded to a stop on the rocky ground. She had landed unceremoniously on her backside and was grimacing in discomfort. Stellan had managed to land on his feet, as he always did when portal jumping. Roman and Nico were already inspecting their new surroundings trying to get their bearings.
“Where are we?” asked Nico.
“It appears to be an underground cavern. The tracking spell had us hovering somewhere over the Ural Mountains right before we left,” said Stellan.
“We are in Russia?” asked Roman.
“Cool, I’ve never even left the United States!” said Dani.
“Well, there’s no time for sightseeing now. Which way do we go?”
“Follow me,” said Stellan as he led the way through the dark and dank passage.
They trudged along in silence as the blackness enveloped them. The only sound was the echo of their footsteps and occasional pitter-patter of water droplets from melted ice seeping in through the cracks.
“So what’s the plan?” asked Dani breaking the eerie stillness.
“There is no plan. We are going to surrender ourselves in exchange for Celeste,” said Roman.
“And let him kill you?” she asked, stopping abruptly to face him.
“If that’s what he wants. It doesn’t matter as long as she is safe.”
“Geez, maybe I shouldn’t have come. How do you know he won’t double cross us and kill us all? That’s always what happens in the movies with these evil villains.”
Nico cracked a smile. “We don’t really know what’s going to happen.”
“So don’t you think we should have a back-up plan at least?”
“Dani, that’s enough! No one said you had to come. You can still turn back,” rebuked Roman. With an exasperated sigh, Dani shrugged her shoulders and followed Stellan further into the darkness.
“They’re here,” announced Alek. “A portal was opened at the mouth of the cave. They should arrive momentarily.”
Fabian grunted. “That was quicker than I thought. Stellan’s magic must not be as weak as I had imagined.”
Celeste thought she saw a flash of concern in Fabian’s hard eyes, but it was gone now. He reached for her and grabbing her by the arm shoved her toward Alek.
“Do something with her so that she doesn’t interfere.”
“My pleasure,” said Alek with a wicked grin.
With a flip of his wrist, Celeste found herself in some sort of invisible cage. She banged against the clear walls and felt a lapse of hysteria set in as she pictured a pantomime she had once seen as a child. She paced around the cage determined to find a way out, no matter how ridiculous she looked. She was still holding the rock she had picked up earlier and tightly held it concealed in her fist. She knew Roman and the others would be here soon and the thought of what Fabian might do to them terrified her. Suddenly, she heard a loud explosion and saw rocks crumbling down at the edge of the chamber. Through the rubble came Stellan followed by Roman, Nico and Dani trailing behind. Celeste’s heart plummeted.
“Finally! I thought you would never get here,” said Fabian. He had a malicious grin on his face and his eyes were twinkling in the torchlight as he slowly walked towards them.
“Have you come to join the party?” asked Alek with his usual glibness.
“We are here for Celeste,” said Stellan, his stern eyes unblinking.
Celeste caught Stellan’s eye and tried to send him a wordless warning from her invisible prison. They were stepping right into a trap, and she was helpless to stop them.
“Ah yes, your precious little Guardian. Well as you can see, she is perfectly fine,” he said with a nod towards Celeste.
“Fabian, don’t be a fool. Now that you know who she is, you would be wise to let her go immediately,” said Stellan.
“Now what would be the point of that? I’ve come so far; I don’t think I can turn back now. Besides, having the Guardian under my power could prove to be quite useful.”
“This was never about her,” said Roman stepping forward. “You came for us, and here we are. Let her go with Stellan, and my brother and I promise not to put up a fight.”
“As if you could,” added Alek. What he lacked in height, he more than made up for in bravado.
Celeste looked desperately to Roman and she could see the torment in his steely eyes as he returned her gaze. She couldn’t let him do this. She wished she had her sword more than anything.
“Fine, it’s a deal,” Fabian said extending his hand. “Alek, put the Constantins in the cell with Celeste.”
“Let her out first,” said Stellan, ignoring his overture.
“But why? I thought they would want to have a moment to say goodbye. And besides she is my insurance policy that the boys behave. You, Stellan, I have no further use for.”
And with a wave of his hand, he flung Stellan like a ragdoll against the side of the cave where he landed on the floor with a crash. Roman’s fangs extended and he let out a vicious snarl.
“Uh, uh, uh,” said Fabian wagging his finger at Roman. “You promised you would not fight me. Stellan will be fine, he just needed a little time out.”
Celeste looked on in horror as Alek escorted Roman and Nico toward her and opening an invisible door shoved them in. Celeste ran to Roman wrapping her arms around him. As she did, she felt the leather string around his neck and saw the Wilder key tucked under his shirt. Pretending they were engaging in a romantic embrace, Celeste slipped the cord over her head. She quickly clasped the key in her hand, and focused all her power into summoning the Council as Dante had taught her. All she could do now was hope that it worked.
“Roman, I won’t let you do this. I won’t let you both die for me,” she said, holding his face between her shaking hands.
“It’s not up to you Celeste. It is our choice, and this is what we have decided. We’ve both lived very long lives. Your life has just begun, and I want you to live it to the fullest,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.
Celeste looked over at Nico who nodded in agreement.
“But I can’t imagine a life without you in it,” she said as a tear rolled down her cheek. “I don’t want to live without you. I can’t.”
Their private moment was shattered by a burst of laughter from Fabian. He had moved across the room and his loathsome face hovered just inches from them.
“Oh Alek, aren’t we dense? All this time we were searching for a hidden reason as to why the Constantins protected her, and we missed out on the most obvious one of all. Roman is in love with her!”
“Love? Well that is preposterous, who ever heard of a vampire being in love with the Guardian?” asked Alek chuckling.
“And she loves him too!” said Fabian. “This is just too much!”
Celeste’s blood was boiling; she wanted nothing more than to rip that smug smile off of Fabian’s face. In a fit of anger, she hurled the rock she had been gripping and it tore through the invisible barrier. The rock flew through the air so quickly it caught Fabian entirely off guard hitting him squarely on the forehead.
“You insolent thing!” yelled Fabian, holding his head where the blood had started to flow.
At the sight of fresh blood, Dani who had been huddled in a corner frozen in fear, momentarily lost control.
With a savage growl, she lunged at Fabian, knocking him to the ground. Everything had happened so quickly that she was able to get a bite into his neck before he zapped her sending her crumbling to the floor.
“Alek!” roared Fabian furiously as he held onto his neck to try and stop the bleeding. “Enough of this, we must start the spell immediately.”
“How did you do that?” asked Nico.
“I’m not sure,” said Celeste. “I was just so angry, so I threw the rock as hard as I could. I have no idea how it broke through the barrier.”
“Can you get yourself through it?” asked Roman.
“I’ve been trying, but I haven’t been able to.”
“You have to keep trying,” said Roman with an encouraging touch to her shoulder.
“Did you see Dani take out a chunk of Fabian’s neck?” asked Nico. “That was awesome!”
“Let’s keep the celebrating down for now, since we are still stuck in this cage. A little vampire bite isn’t going to keep Fabian down for long,” said Roman.
Fabian remained on the ground scowling, fastidiously wiping away the blood from his black robe.
“I’ve been trying to summon the Council, but I don’t know if it’s working. I’ve never done it before; shouldn’t they have answered me by now?” Celeste clutched the key and focused intently. Again, she fervently wished for her sword.
Alek had appeared with an ancient leather-bound book, and was flipping through it expertly. The worn cover was filled with dark symbols that Celeste immediately recognized as black magic. Once he found the page he was looking for, he helped Fabian off the ground and placed it in his arms.
“Get me the first one,” he said to Alek.
Alek appeared inside the cage and taking hold of Nico popped back out taking him with him.
“No!” said Roman, trying to reach out for Nico, but he slipped right through his fingers. Roman hurled himself at the invisible wall with a growl, but it remained unmoving.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be next,” said Alek with an evil grin.
With a flick of his hand, Fabian snapped Nico’s neck and fastened him standing upright to the cave wall with iron restraints around his limp neck, wrists and ankles. He took out an ornate dagger and sliced open each of Nico’s wrists, inserting a pin in the wound so that the skin couldn’t heal itself. As the blood came gushing out, Alek positioned an ancient looking vessel on each side to contain the dark red liquid. Roman began pacing desperately inside the cage. He bit his lower lip to keep from screaming.
Celeste could feel the pain radiating from him at the sight of his brother’s suffering. She grasped her key tightly and summoned the Council again, repeatedly imploring that they come to her aid. Celeste placed her arm around Roman’s broad shoulders, holding him as he watched in helplessness as Fabian tortured his brother.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
Fabian began to read from his book in a strange language, and as he did Nico began to come to. “Demonium resurectus omniam filibus…”
“What are you doing?” he asked weakly.
Fabian ignored him and continued the chant as Nico’s blood continued to pour into the vessels.
“Alek, I’m ready for the next one.”
Celeste looked at Roman terrified. She couldn’t lose him, not now and not like this.
“Everything’s going to be okay,” he said. “He’ll let you go once he has what he wants. I’ll make sure of it.” He caressed her cheek lovingly, looking deep into her eyes.
“No, Roman, please don’t leave me. You have to fight him!”
“I’ll always be with you Celeste, I love you,” he said as Alek yanked him out of the cage while Celeste scrambled to hold on.
“No!” screamed Celeste. “No!”
As Roman was dragged away, Celeste looked down at the beautiful ring he had given her and couldn’t believe how useless she felt. There was nothing she could do but watch in disbelief as Fabian took the lives of those she loved most.
No! I won’t let this happen!
Celeste plopped down on the hard floor and shut her eyes. She envisioned being back in Stellan’s sun-filled yard meditating like he had taught her. She focused all of her power and for what felt like the millionth time, Celeste clung onto the Wilder key desperately reaching out to the Council and wishing for her sword.
“My brother and I have done everything you wanted Fabian. Now let Celeste, Stellan and Dani go,” said Roman. His voice was calm but forceful.
“Alek, chain him to the wall.”
“Wait!” said Roman planting his feet firmly in the ground. “Give me your word that you will let them go.”
“Fine, fine, you have my word that I will let them go as soon as I get what I want from the two of you,” conceded Fabian.
“Okay, then let’s get on with this,” he said with one final rueful glance at Celeste.
Fabian repeated the exercise with the dagger on Roman as he was restrained against the wall. The blood flowed rapidly and filled the vessels as Fabian continued his chanting. Nico had become very pale, and could hardly hold himself up any longer. Celeste noticed a slight movement from where Stellan lay, and to her relief she saw that he was waking up.
“That’s enough!” cried Celeste. “You’re killing them!” She jumped to her feet and threw herself against the invisible barrier. She hit it with a smack. Dazed, she knelt down on the floor, willing herself to stand back up. She put her hand down to push herself up, and felt something icy and metallic under her hand.
It can’t be…
It was her sword! It had appeared from thin air as if by magic. She glanced around cautiously and saw that no one had seen it. She left it where it was, partially submerged in the dirt. She had about five seconds to come up with a plan.
“Alek, it’s time. Bring her,” said Fabian.
Roman looked worriedly at Celeste, but noticed that Alek didn’t make a move toward her. Instead, he suddenly disappeared from the chamber and returned moments later wheeling in a shrouded body prone on a table. Fabian carefully removed the sheet, gazing intensely at who or what lay underneath. Roman, nearly unconscious from blood loss, looked up in shock when the cover was removed.
“Mom?” he asked and then everything went black.
Celeste picked up the sword and holding it high over her head focused all of her power into it. She felt a surge of energy flow through her and a blazing white light shattered the invisible barrier. Fabian, momentarily distracted from whatever was under the shroud, spun toward her.
Simultaneously, Stellan sprung up and unleashed a fiery flash of lightning blinding everyone around him. Celeste put her arm up to shield her eyes from the bright lights and out of the corner of her eye saw Dante, Sierra and the other three members of the Council (whom she didn’t know by name) crash through the outer wall of the cavern.
In the midst of the chaos, Celeste ran to Roman and Nico. She removed the pins from their wrists to stop the blood loss and began working on freeing them from the restraints.
“Are you okay?” she asked. Nico looked deathly pale, and though she had removed the manacles, he hadn’t moved.
“Of course. See, we’re starting to heal already,” said Nico with a forced smile and then collapsed to the floor.
“Nico!” she cried.
“I’m okay, I just need to rest,” he said and curled up into a ball against the rock.
Roman looked as white as a ghost, and didn’t say a word. She helped him down and was rewarded with a reassuring smile. She propped him up against the wall next to Nico.
“Stay here, I’m going to need some help getting you out of here.” Celeste ran over to Dani shaking her vigorously until she woke up. “Get up! We have to get out of here.”
Dani opened her eyes and looked around dazed.
“Come on Dani, you have to help me get Roman and Nico out while Fabian is distracted. I can’t do it by myself. They’ve lost too much blood.”
“Okay, okay, I’m
up. I’m coming.”
As the Council members came crashing through the wall, Fabian attempted to pick them off one by one. There was a frightening glint in his eye as he prepared for battle.
“It’s been much too long, Seraphina,” he said to a fearsome raven-haired woman, and with a wave of his hand sent her flying across the room. Dante leapt up in time to catch her before she hit the stone pavement and lowered her gently to the ground.
While Dante tended to his companion, Fabian moved on to the next one. “Balthazar, I didn’t think you were still alive,” he said derisively to an elderly graying Council member. Before he could repeat the move on Seraphina, Balthazar lunged at him with his spear.
“My, you are pretty spry for such an old fellow,” taunted Fabian, dodging the assault.
Suddenly, Alek appeared in between Fabian and his attacker. Balthazar paused, spear in hand ready to strike at either foe.
“Alek, get Dante! He’s been meddling in my affairs for far too long. I’ll handle this old man,” instructed Fabian.
“It would be my pleasure,” said Alek. He crossed the room in a blur and flung himself on Dante. Dante struggled to regain his balance and unsheathed his sword just in time to strike at Alek. With a mighty swing of his arm, he slashed Alek across the chest. Reeling from the blow, Alek took a few steps back then raised his hand to hurl a large boulder at his attacker. Dante sprang away just in time to avoid the blow as the rock hit the cave wall and smashed into a thousand pieces sending shrapnel across the room. Seraphina, who had been unconscious, now rose to her feet to help Dante. Faced with two angry guardians wielding hefty swords, Alek stopped.
“Wait!” he said, holding both hands up.
“Finish them!” shouted Fabian from across the cavern. Balthazar was slumped in a corner and Fabian had another Council member on his knees. With a terrifying gleam in his eye, he looked at Dante and then back at the man kneeled before him and with a wave of his hand snapped his neck.