In one fluid movement Stefan sprang into the air, reached over his shoulder and swung a large crossbow toward them. “You will fall dead before the arrow left your bow,” he gritted out.
Instinctively, Nicholas cocked his gun. Stefan, like Simion, had fought in many wars. He wasn’t sure how skilled he was with a bow, but he wasn’t about to risk losing his brother. He would kill Stefan on the spot if he had to.
“We found the wall of the dungeon destroyed. Where are the twelve statues?” Nicholas asked. “What have you done with them?”
Stefan said nothing for a moment and when he spoke his voice was laced with confusion. “I know nothing of what you speak.”
Nicholas would’ve accused him a second time, but Daniela gripped him on the arm, drawing his attention.
“Nicholas, what’s going on?” She pointed.
He followed her direction and his breathing paused. From where they stood they could see beyond the dilapidated castle walls and into the main courtyard. A large hole had been ripped into the darkness. Its circumference was at least ten feet wide. It blotted out the trees behind it and its center wavered as if draped in a thick curtain of smoke.
“Witchcraft,” was all Nicholas managed to say.
The spectacle also drew Simion and Stefan’s attentions and they all gazed on with mounting consternation. The sound of hooves emerged from the blackness and a second later, a huge and glossy black stallion stepped through. Atop it sat a woman, her poise regal and proud. Also garbed in black, she sported a massive silver headdress. On either side of her horse, two other women emerged on foot.
Daniela’s grip tightened on Nicholas’s arm. “That’s them, the witches who attacked me!”
Nicholas guessed that the woman upon the horse was the leader of the Raba witch clan. Her name eluded him, but he had heard of her. She was a callous bitch whose lust for power was incessant. Her own husband had died at her hands—an act of self-defense, or so she’d claimed. And she’d wasted no time in taking up his staff as sovereign.
Simion cast a look up at Stefan. “What manner of sorcery have you brought down upon us?”
Stefan shook his head slowly. “It is not my doing.”
The figures of about twelve men also appeared out of the gateway. They were tall and wore long, black warrior kilts. Their muscled chests were bare save for the tattoos that covered their skin. Their faces were partially concealed by bands of cloth that were wound about their mouths and their long dark hair fell nearly to their waist.
Raba warlocks, Nicholas thought with distaste. He’d encountered their kind before. They were men renowned for their fighting skill, and they’d posed a great challenge to the Ananovian witch clan during the great wars. They gleaned their strength and speed from magic crystals. It was through their intrusion that the Ananovians had sought to form an alliance with the gargoyles.
The portal snapped shut and the two witches on foot raised their hands simultaneously to point toward Daniela. Their lips began to move in unison, spilling forth an ancient spell. A riveting wall of fire blazed forward, lighting the atmosphere and searing everything in its path. The warlocks advanced, racing forward and leaping over fallen slabs of stones. Several of them held scythes.
Nicholas’s party fell back immediately. Simion began releasing a series of arrows, but the warlocks were too fast. They dodged the projectiles with ease.
“How did they find me?” Daniela gasped.
Nicholas passed his gun to her and motioned toward a pillar that had collapsed. “Conceal yourself,” he ordered.
She accepted the gun and cocked it. “No! I said I would fight at your side.” Without waiting for his approval, she raised the gun and began firing at the advancing warlocks.
Nicholas ripped his jacket off and summoned the darkness within him. His pulse quickened and his body began to morph. The roar he emitted as he became a gargoyle was born of the agony that pulsed through him and his anger toward those who dared to harm Daniela.
The warlocks descended upon them, slashing madly with their scythes. Nicholas sprung into the air as one of them made a swing for his legs. He swept down and gripped the man by the throat, lifting him high off the ground before discarding him. Stefan had joined the skirmish. He fought like a well-honed warrior, evading attacks and laying flat those who opposed him.
Nicholas didn’t let Daniela out of his sight. She’d resorted to using martial arts to defend herself. On several occasions he had to interject and ward off an attacker, but otherwise Daniela fought with the grace and speed of a well-trained warrior.
Simion’s scream echoed throughout the ruins. Nicholas’s attention was drawn to his brother, who lay on the ground, gripping his arm. He’d been injured and a warlock stood above him with a massive silver scythe in his grip. Nicholas moved to aid Simion, but was rammed off his feet. Together he and the warlock who’d attacked him went scraping across the earth, ripping up the weeds and shattering the low remnants of brick walls.
With both hands, the warlock raised a long knife above his head and was about to plunge it into Nicholas’s flesh. A gunshot rang out and the warlock froze. A trickle of blood oozed from his nose and he collapsed to one side. A few feet behind him, Daniela stood with the gun. She met Nicholas’s eyes for a brief second, relaying the same message he’d given her before: she wasn’t about to let anything happen to him.
Nicholas sprang to his feet and found his brother again. Only Simion had released the beast that had been stirring within him for months. He too had become a gargoyle.
The fight continued and victory began to sway in their favor. The leader of the Raba clan raised a hand and called out an order in an ancient tongue. The twins at her side raised their crystals and began chanting. Immediately, the portal was reopened. She spun her black horse around and with a final venomous glance, she passed through it. Her minions followed, retreating with the same speed with which they had attacked.
Nicholas leaped into the air and flew toward the portal. It snapped shut just before he could enter. In a rage, he gripped one of the injured warlocks by the hair and wound it about his fist. He yanked the man’s head backward and drew the knife from his boot, placing it against his throat.
“Who has hired you to do this?” he asked through barred teeth.
The warlock laughed, spurting blood from his lips. “The prophecy…will soon be fulfilled,” he choked out.
Nicholas frowned at him. “What prophecy do you speak of?”
Again the warlock laughed. Nicholas yanked his head backward another few inches. “Answer me!” he barked, just as the warlock slipped into unresponsiveness.
“That is enough,” Simion’s voice invaded his mind.
He looked up. Simion was approaching him while Stefan watched from one side. At the very rear, Daniela looked on with wide eyes. With the aid of the fires that still burned about them, he could read the fear on her face. He released the man and stood. He’d never felt such pulsing rage before. He knew it had quite a bit to do with Daniela and her missing sister. There seemed to be no hope of finding answers. He felt free to assume that Stefan wasn’t behind everything that had happened, but that took them back to square one.
Simion paused next to him. “We need to return to the estate. These matters require more than just our own attention now.” He turned to Stefan. “Please. Allow us to extend our apologies for doubting you.”
Nicholas inclined his head in agreement. Stefan still wore an expression of surprise. Nicholas guessed that he’d never expected them to be gargoyles, as well.
Stefan nodded. “It is in the past. Right now we must focus strictly upon remedying the situation at hand.”
He was right. There was simply too much at stake to waste their efforts worrying over misplaced accusations. Nicholas motioned for Daniela to quickly join them. As soon as he’d taken his attention from her, he was f
orced to look again. His brows began to bend and a cry rose within his throat.
“Daniela!”
Behind her, partially masked in the shadow of a wall, a black hole had opened. She’d only taken two steps when two tentacle-like whiffs of smoke snaked out.
Fear like none he’d ever experienced before possessed him and he sprang into the air. “Run!” he screamed.
But it was too late. One whiff of smoke wrapped itself about her neck and the other encircled her waist. It was soon joined by others. She struggled madly, gasping for air as she tried to pry her neck free. But it was to no avail. She was pulled to the earth and her eyes met Nicholas’s one last time. She reached for him, gasping his name silently into the night. And then she was gone.
Nicholas landed on the ground just as the last flailing tips of the smoke crept back into the shadows. An anguished roar tore through his throat and he crumpled to his knees. His head fell into his hands and he cursed himself. He’d vowed to protect her. The mere thought of the tortures she’d have to endure at the hands of those who sought the runes sent a wave of agony over him. Fury filled his eyes as he lifted them to the shadow into which she’d disappeared, and his breathing came in heavy gasps. He’d be damned if he allowed anyone to take her away from him. She’d become his amusement, his desire, his equal and his purpose. And with certainty, he realized now that he loved her.
Chapter 17
The sound of water lapping against rocks woke her. Daniela moaned and eased her eyes open. Her head ached and she was cold. She blinked against the darkness that greeted her. As her eyes adjusted, she could see that she was in some sort of shack. Crates were stacked against one wall and on the other side a very narrow slit had been cut into the wall. It permitted a short beam of moonlight in.
Daniela stood and steadied herself before heading toward the little window. She extended her wrist beneath it and checked her watch. It was 9:50 p.m., which meant she’d been there for about one hour. She remembered everything that had occurred at the castle ruins. She could also recall the cry that Nicholas had emitted as she’d been forced into the darkness. At this moment she yearned for him, for the security he presented. She was afraid.
Tiptoeing, she spied through the opening. A beautiful lake lay on the other side. The reflection of the moon danced on its surface as it rippled lazily. Daniela could tell that she was below the ground level, for grass and shrubs partially obscured her vision.
She was momentarily tempted to cry out for help, but thought against it. No one was in sight and she didn’t want to alert any of the wrong people that she was awake. And so she turned to study the room. A heavy wooden door seemed to be the only entrance. She went to it and gripped the handle. A few tries revealed that it was locked.
She felt her hair for any pins that might’ve survived the bedlam she’d endured. To her delight she located one. Kneeling, she felt for the keyhole and immediately deduced that it was an old-fashioned lock. She sighed. Without any substantial light to aid her, picking it was definitely going to take a miracle. She closed her eyes and slipped the pin in. It might prove to be easier if she tried to feel her way through it.
She was still kneeling behind the door when she heard movement on the other side. Light seeped in from beneath the door and the jingle of keys could be heard. Daniela jumped up and backed toward the rear of the room.
The door opened and the twin Raba witches entered. One bore a single candle. They stepped to the side and a man entered. He wore a black hooded cloak that billowed around him. Draped about his neck was a heavy necklace from which a golden ram’s head dangled. His face was moderately obscured by the shadow of the black hood, but there was an air about him that made her wary.
“Ah, our little thief,” he spoke.
Daniela frowned at him. “Who are you?”
She knew the answer before her question was complete. He was the man who’d hired her and the one who held her sister. He was Sabbath.
He laughed softly. “The first day I saw you I knew who you were. It was the look in your eyes—the discomfort. But that wasn’t the time to confront you. So I had you followed.” He brought his hands together in a clap. “And here you are. And now my dear, you will tell me where the Rune of Cythe is hidden.”
“Where’s my sister?” Daniela blurted. She wasn’t giving up any information until she knew that Elaina was safe.
Sabbath motioned toward the twin without the candle and she disappeared from the room. A moment later she returned with another person. Daniela’s heart stopped then started to beat rapidly again. Elaina was alive.
“Daniela!” Elaina started crying and tried to run to her, but was held firmly by the witch.
Elaina was still dressed in her pale blue pajamas and fuzzy, alien bedroom slippers. She was dirty, but otherwise looked unharmed.
Tears welled in Daniela’s eyes and she pinned Sabbath with a hard look. “Let her go,” she gritted out.
“Where is the rune?”
She hesitated. There was still the possibility that she and Elaina would be killed once the rune was found, but what other choice did she have? If she resisted she was sure they would threaten Elaina’s well-being to gain her compliance. At least by admitting the location, she would be able to buy them some time. Nicholas would find them. Of this she was sure.
“Release her to me,” she told Sabbath. “And I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
Sabbath only watched her for a moment, then he motioned to the witch who held Elaina. She let her go and Elaina raced toward Daniela.
“I’ll hold you to that,” Sabbath told her. “And if you try to deceive me in any way your sister’s blood will be on your hands.”
Daniela pulled Elaina into an embrace and held her tightly. Elaina began to sob into her shoulder. “Everything’s going to be okay,” she said soothingly.
Elaina looked up at her with tears streaking her cheeks. “Let’s get out of here. I want to go home.”
Daniela kissed her forehead. “We will. Just hold on a little longer.” She sent Sabbath a hateful look. “Why are you doing this?”
“Why?” He began sauntering toward them. “Because it’s time I claimed my birthright. I should be leader of my clan. Too long have I taken orders and held my tongue.”
He paused before them and stripped the hood from his head. Daniela gasped in disbelief.
He continued. “Too long have I shared my inheritance with those who should’ve been gone a long time ago. Too long have I wilted in Victor Drakon’s shadow.”
Daniela’s arms tightened about Elaina and she fought the sickening feeling that was churning in her stomach. She couldn’t believe that Sabbath was none other than Andrew Drakon.
* * *
They’d decided that there was no time to return to the mansion. With Daniela stolen, Nicholas knew that Sabbath’s next move would be to retrieve the Rune of Cythe. He’d revealed its hiding place to Simion and Stefan and they’d made their way there without delay. The way to Sighisoara was a long one and they’d decided to fly to save time. Once there, they would wait in concealment until someone arrived to retrieve the rune, and then they hoped be led to the place where Daniela and the twelve statues were being kept.
He only prayed that their efforts weren’t in vain, for it seemed the Raba witches had developed their own quick modes of transportation. Gateways had never been used in the past and it would make tracking them impossible.
Simion’s voice invaded his thoughts. “Are you sure the girl spoke the truth? Is this where the rune is buried?”
They were perched high above the ground in the trees. Nicholas surveyed the large moss-covered boulder that sat near the center of the clearing. From his vantage point he could make out no sign that the ground had been manipulated. Yet he held fast to his faith in Daniela.
He nodded. �
��It is. We have only to wait.”
Stefan, who was on another branch a few feet away, motioned toward them and pointed toward the highway that was visible through the trees. A car was pulling to the wayside, its headlights sweeping through the trees. It came to a stop and the engine purred off.
Nicholas watched as the doors opened. Instantly, he saw Daniela. His heart constricted and he had to steel himself to remain where he was. Three others exited the car; a man, a woman and a teenage girl. The woman was one of the Raba twins and she held on to the girl. Nicholas guessed that the girl was Daniela’s little sister. The man looked to be nothing more than a servant.
With Daniela in the lead, they moved down the sloping hill that flattened out into the clearing. Nicholas’s gaze stayed on Daniela as she passed beneath him. She looked scared and uncertain, but he could tell that she was being quite brave for her sister. He wanted nothing more than to go down and save her, but now wasn’t the time to act. Sabbath wasn’t present and the statues had yet to be recovered.
Daniela motioned toward the boulder. “The rune is buried next to it.”
The witch jerked her head toward the boulder. “Retrieve it,” she said.
It was then that Nicholas noticed the knife in the witch’s hand. It was pressed up against the girl’s rib cage.
Daniela moved forward and kneeled next to the boulder. She began digging in the soil and after a minute, she pulled out what appeared to be a bundle of newspaper. The witch nodded at the man and he advanced and took the bundle from Daniela’s hands. Carefully, he unraveled it to reveal the Rune of Cythe inside. A grin crept to his face as he held it up for inspection.
Nicholas exchanged looks with Simion and Stefan. They were risking much by allowing them to walk away with the second rune, but there was no other way. There were still mysteries that needed to be solved.
The group on the ground began making their way back toward the car. Nicholas watched Daniela. He wished that there was a way he could let her know that he was with her. But he couldn’t. The slightest indication that something was amiss could completely foil their plans. And so he maintained his position until the car crawled back onto the highway.
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