She reached out to help me out of my purple sheath, to speed things along. But time most certainly wasn't on our side.
Because the sound of successive explosions met our ears, seconds before the Château came crumbling down around us. I just had enough wherewithal to reach for my sword, before both Samson and Natalyia covered my body with theirs.
Chapter 37
Trapped
A deafening roar thrummed through our heads as dust choked our lungs. I could feel the bodies of my two vampires above me shudder whenever debris hit them hard. They didn't make a sound. No grunts of pain or shocked gasps of air. But I knew they were taking a pummelling, because their bodies shook vigorously in intermittent bursts of pressure against my frame, as rocks and masonry connected with them instead of me.
I dreaded to think what it was doing to their backs, as I could feel the cuts and abrasions on my exposed legs and they hurt. Somehow, though, between both of them, Samson and Natalyia provided a cocoon of sorts around my head and upper body. The only part of me to get hammered by the falling building were my lower legs and feet.
Then, just when it felt like it might be ending and we'd gotten away with minor injuries - or at least I had - the floor beneath us groaned ominously, the sounds of the building creaking grew louder, and then the ground beneath us gave out.
Natalyia did shout then. An alarmed sound that sent even more shivers through my frame. The top floor was collapsing into the one below and as anyone knows, when a building collapses, a domino effect would ensue. One floor into the next into the next. And we would be sandwiched in between.
Samson shifted himself beneath me as a cushion, as Natalyia covered my back, and then as though in slow motion, the floor we were on hit the one below, sending shockwaves through us all. In a split second I knew I wouldn't survive. The vampires could, they were made of hardier stuff than me. If their heads stayed on their bodies and no silver pierced their hearts, they'd recover. But although I am harder to kill than a human, I am still nowhere near as tough as a vampire.
I reached out to Michel in my mind, finding the connection open and waiting. His panic and alarm almost making me forget my troubles. But as the floor began to give way again, to bring us down to the next level, and the pressure of debris increased around us as the Château simple fell in on itself, I refocused my attention on the Bond and drew on every ounce of Michel's Sanguis Vitam he could spare.
My Light entwined with his Sanguis Vitam, which then - probably due to Michel and not me, because I hadn't even thought of it - pulled on the combined powers of the Iunctio. And before the next drop down and consequent mounting debris around us could crush our bodies further, a bubble of Light wrapped around us and provided a pocket of calm in amongst the storm.
It took another three or four minutes before what was left of the building settled around us, and for that entire time the pocket of Light held. When the dust settled, and the groans and creaks ceased, Natalyia lifted her head, shifting her weight so as not to crush me, and sucked in a startled breath of thick air.
She muttered something in Russian and then sat up fully, helping me to a sitting position, so Samson could get upright as well.
"What did you do, Mistress?" she asked in an awed voice.
I blinked the dust and muck out of my eyes and tried to focus on what was around us. It took a few seconds for me to realise we were completely surrounded. Not just beneath us and beside us, but above us as well. The roof of the Château was crumpled against the ceiling of my Light dome and the bricks and furniture debris was pressed against the sides. It was surreal. And alarming. We were OK, but others may not have faired as well.
I shook my head at Natalyia, whilst running my gaze over her and Samson to determine how bad they both were. Blood coated their backs, their fangs were down and both had colour changes in their eyes. But their pallor wasn't so alarmingly pale that I didn't think they'd be able to heal from any injuries they'd sustained.
Michel? I sent the thought to him. My next concern his safety and those of his and my lines.
I am fine, ma douce. I was not in the building when the explosions hit. Alain and Daniel are with me as are most of my immediate guards. Marcus and Matthias are in the building's rubble, but will survive. Sergei is also at my side.
I let a breath out I hadn't realised I'd been holding, but although the news was fortifying, those accounted for were not all I had weighing on my mind.
Gregor, Amisi? I asked.
I am trying to locate them and the rest of the Iunctio Councillors now. We have taken some hits. But less than a handful of those vampyres within the structure are lost to us, the rest are simply buried and will take time to dig out.
Time, I was sure, we didn't have. These explosion were certainly Avery's doing. So he would strike while we tried to dig our army out.
What of Yves and Sophie and those Nosferatins who had just arrived? I asked.
They were all on the ground floor at the time of the first explosion, and with some of our vampyres' assistance escaped before the building collapsed. Only those in the cellar and higher in the Château, had difficulty evacuating in time.
The news was better than we could have feared. The vampires in the cellar consisted mainly of the other Councillors' lines. Gregor and Amisi would have been on the second floor, along with Gregor's vampires. Michel's vampires were on the top floor. That is of course if none of them were wandering the Château’s halls elsewhere at the time. I was sure most of those vampires in the building would be fine - in due course - but Amisi was a worry. Still, Gregor would have used the Iunctio's combined power to protect her too, and he had just doubled his own Sanguis Vitam this evening, so I had to pray that they'd get out.
For now, we had to concentrate on getting ourselves free before Avery and Viktor struck.
I am coming for you, ma douce. Stay where you are, we will dig down to you, Michel instructed and I immediately pooh-poohed that idea.
You need to get everyone clear of the building ready for attack. Avery will strike at any moment, I shot back and received a rather convincing growl through the Bond in reply. You know I'm right, Michel. We'll get ourselves out, but if your back is exposed digging for us, then we're all as good as dead.
Not exactly the most diplomatic way to convince him I was right. His vampire-within was clearly desperate to reach me; his vampire mate who was trapped. And with the way he had been acting lately, this was a recipe for disaster. I bit back a curse at my lack of diplomacy. Now was not the time to rile the dragon-within.
But the dragon is not all Michel is, even though that argument is not exactly sound at present. Michel was still a master tactician. And right now a battle was at hand.
Take care, and if you are not out in half an hour, I will come for you. With those parting words he sent a jolt of Sanguis Vitam down the connection we shared; half to boost my own reserves, half to show he cared. It soothed my ragged nerves, calmed my breathing, and fortified my resolve to get us out.
I quickly relayed the information on survivors to Samson and Natalyia, who had been waiting patiently, clearly aware I was communicating with Michel in my mind. They had no other means to transmit to the outside world. Unlike Marcus and Matthias, Samson and Natalyia did not have telepathic abilities such as those of Michel's line.
"So, how do we get out of here?" I asked, gazing around our little cocoon.
"How long can you sustain the Light dome?" Samson asked.
"I have no idea," I admitted. Reaching up and pressing against it to see if it would give. Surprisingly my hand went through it and touched the suspended rubble on the outside. I tested my ability to move the rough fragments of masonry, by giving the plate sized bit of stonework a good shove. And watched stunned as it skittered away down the other side of the debris pile above us.
"Well, I guess we can dig," I announced.
All of us immediately started to reach through the one-way Light dome, shoving at bits of debris to try to see n
ight sky. Being on the top floor I had hopes it wouldn't take long. And not being sure how long the Light dome would continue to function, we moved quickly, almost frantically, to get to the other side. As more and more rubble above us shifted, we began to climb upwards, the Light dome moving as we did. Even though we were putting everything into it, it was taking longer than I'd hoped. And after several minutes, I felt Michel's emotions as they swelled inside him, and the night sky was still nowhere in sight.
Normally I can't feel his emotions as he feels mine, but the Bond connection does let me know if he is well and healthy. He was healthy, but he was definitely not well.
Avery had arrived.
How many? I threw the question at Michel, as I told my vampires to increase their efforts to escape our trap.
Approximately one-hundred-and-fifty ghouls and an equal amount of vampyres, came Michel's steady, but increasingly concerned reply.
Where had Avery got the vampires from? His army had been decimated back in Paris. How had he found so many willing vampires in such a short amount of time?
No doubt, just as we did. He has called on his accords, Michel offered as explanation.
Part of me had been prepared for the ghouls, but thought Avery's vampire numbers would be small. To be faced with an equal number of vampires as ghouls was alarming. And disheartening. If I'd had any hopes this could be over and done with swiftly, they were now lost.
It also meant more Nosferatu had been pulled into this than we had ever thought possible. This was truly turning into a world altering event for the supernaturals of Earth's realm. Which suddenly made me wonder if we should involve another realm, in order to stop this before it even got started. I stopped digging to fumble in my pocket for Aliath's little gem. Only to discover I was still in my purple sheath dress, not my hunting outfit, and the gem was buried in the rubble of the Château. I glanced down at the chunks of building beneath us, in a futile effort to spot my hunting jacket as it had been near me when the house collapsed. But it was long gone in the chaos.
What was there though, was my Svante sword.
I had to reach through the Light dome to get to it. It hadn't been included in the protection but thankfully had been close enough to benefit all-the-same. It was still sheathed in its scabbard and the harness that would attach it to my back. I didn't have any of my silver stakes on me, they too had been in the jacket and were now lost. But at least I had a weapon. I thrust my arms through the holster, allowing Natalyia to assist me when the straps got tangled, and buckled the entire unit up across my dress.
I would have looked ridiculous. Dust covered, scraped and battered, in a crumpled and ripped purple satin sheath - but I was armed. And armed well. I could do some damage with a Svante sword. And although a stake might have been nice once we escaped this dome, the ghouls wouldn't fall without losing their heads. And a stake could hardly achieve that.
I was going to have to decapitate each opponent, which would require energy and lots of it. You'd be surprised how economical in movement staking a vampire can be. How easy thrusting a silver sharp-tipped stake through their chest is, compared to severing their heads with a sword. My Svante was sharp and I knew how to wield it, but knowing and achieving it were two different things.
I'd already been exhausted before we got buried. And although I hadn't had a chance to think of the nausea until now, as I catalogued my current state in preparation for what lay ahead, I did now. And it was still there, in the background, but because of adrenaline and overwhelming panic at being trapped as Michel faced off against my foe, it was manageable. But the exhaustion was not something I could counteract with a determined frame of mind.
I sucked in a breath and told myself to dig deep, rest could come later, after we dealt with this disaster first. But I must have looked as tired as I felt, or maybe Samson and Natalyia knew me from my sighs alone, because both of them insisted I let them continue to dig us out and I conserve my energy for when we escaped.
"I can't sit by and watch you work," I advised, reaching up to grasp another broken tile above us. Samson simply took it out of my hand, not having to reach that high due to his superior height over mine.
"We're almost there, Mistress," Natalyia offered placatingly. "Let us finish this last bit, while you catch your breath."
"Do I look like I need to catch my breath?" I grumbled.
"Yes," they both replied in unison, so I shut up and crossed my arms over my chest and watched.
It would do no good to escape this and be faced with Viktor or Avery on the other side and not be able to lift my sword to defend against them. I wasn't an idiot - well most of the time - I knew when I needed to heed my vampires' advice.
I spent the time checking on Michel.
How's it going out there? I asked, as though asking someone if they were enjoying a walk in the park and not fighting for their life. I needed to distance myself from reality, or I'd start to hyperventilate I was sure.
Thankfully Michel ignored my inappropriate tone and got down to business.
I am unsure where you will exit the building, ma douce. But to orientate you, we are fighting the majority of ghouls on the driveway, across the drawbridge. There is a group of vampyre fighting near the tree line on the eastern side. And some sporadic scuffles at the side of the property close to the herb garden. As yet I have only seen Viktor Davydov, who is commanding the ghouls.
It didn't surprise me at all that Viktor would be the one to control the ghouls. His ability to manipulate minds would make commanding an army of ghouls much easier than for the average vamp. But the unsaid in Michel's words were grounding, in face of the knowledge that Viktor was indeed here and allied with Avery. Where was Avery? If he wasn't confronting the Champion, the leader of the organisation he wished to punish, then where was he?
Michel didn't need to voice it, neither did I. Avery blamed his entire demise on me. If Avery was here, he'd be looking for one thing and one thing only. A chance to avenge himself against me.
"We're getting close, Luce," Samson said, formality giving way under the pressure of the moment. I didn't mind in the slightest. If we were about to face our final deaths, I'd far rather my friends called me by my name and not some arbitrary title.
I took in a couple of deep breaths, and then despite the close quarters, withdrew my Svante. Natalyia glanced over her shoulder at me, her eyebrows raised in obvious question.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," I admitted, biting my bottom lip as my hands repositioned themselves nervously on the dancing dragon hilt of my sword.
"What part?" Natalyia asked, voice deadpan as usual. "The part where we've been buried for half an hour in the rubble of your home, or the part where we're about to emerge into the middle of an epic battle between vampires and ghouls?"
Until that second I hadn't regarded the Château as my home. But considering we'd turned our backs on Auckland, and Michel's Gothic monstrosity in London was never a place I'd call home. And that the Iunctio's Palais was a building I didn't much like and now could never give it the chance it deserved. Meant the Château was the obvious choice for that title.
And now I was mad. Really quite fucking incensed, in fact. Kathleen and Matthew had chosen this for Michel and myself. Much thought had gone into the decision and they had chosen well. They were also buried here. This was their final resting place. And yes, the Château could be rebuilt. As could the Palais, which I considered was Michel's plan. But my home, Le Château, had been destroyed by Avery Rousseau and for some reason it seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back.
People were more important than buildings, I knew this. But right then, realising just how much Avery destroyed around him, how much devastation lay in his wake, the Château became a representation of his destructive influence on all that he touched. And I'd had enough. Enough of being tied to this vampire for one reason or another.
Initially it had been because he could aid us, in our own battles in London at the time. And then
that tie was because of his connection to Michel after he had been lost to me, that kept Avery in my life. Followed quickly thereafter by the forced joining to him, which eventually failed and led to now. The tie being his revenge for all he had lost because of that failed joining. Which wasn't my fault at all.
But I was paying for it, because Avery Rousseau was hell bent on destroying everything that crossed his path. My luck was that I had crossed it and now lay in Avery's cross-hairs. But no more. Tonight I'd face him and end this once and for all. Because even though he was taking it out on me, I knew it wouldn't stop there. Avery was Dark, probably Darker than I had ever seen him. And the insidious nature of his Darkness would mean he would continue to destroy everything around him long after I was gone.
The balance of Light and Dark is so precarious. I couldn't let him win his revenge. I couldn't let him destroy me. Because he would surely destroy all Light in the process.
He'd crossed one too many lines, but this was no longer just avenging Kathleen and Matthew's murders. Or avenging the destruction of a place I now called home.
This was Light versus Dark at its most basic. And for my Goddess, I could not let Avery Rousseau win.
"I see stars," Samson announced and my heartbeat escalated. Not out of joy at realising we would soon be free. But in anticipation for what lay on the other side of the rubble above us. Lying in wait, watching us emerge from the sanctum of our cocoon. Crouched to pounce.
"Be ready," I instructed, fingering the hilt on my sword again to settle my nerves.
The last of the debris went flying, the dark sky dotted with brilliant shining stars met our eyes, and the cool breeze of freedom caressed our cheeks. Samson scrambled up onto the top, turning quickly to check our surroundings, taking my instructions to be ready for anything to heart. Natalyia crawled up and out of our hole to stand beside him, then quickly turned back to offer a hand to me. I grasped her palm and let her lift me out of the Light dome, watching as it disintegrated as soon as my feet left its inner sphere. The protection lasted for as long as I was within it, and for all I knew, would have lasted indefinitely until I walked out of its confines.
Kiss of the Dragon Page 37