I see. Well, if that is the case, you could join me here if you like, it would not be too difficult. I am sure you would find it very interesting.
Riley froze for a moment, her hands stilling on the laces of her boot. The idea of joining him . . .
Male laughter vibrated from the floor. Waves of warmth radiated upward, and she started laughing, too. Carpathians definitely knew all about teasing. That realization eased her fears that her Dax could possibly become vampire. Evil creatures taunted, but they didn’t tease. Teasing was gentle, friendly. There was a difference. Somehow, she got the feeling that he wanted to touch her, even if he couldn’t physically be there right then. And somehow he had. Tingles coiled inside her and her shoulders relaxed.
You called me your Dax.
She stiffened. She had called him her Dax. She thought of him that way and she had no idea why.
Yes, you know why.
That voice could melt a glacier. If she didn’t quit she’d be tripping over her own tongue. “I am leaving. You”—she pointed to the ground—“stay there.” See? She could be funny, too. Laughing at her own joke, she exited the tent.
Gary followed her out, and as they left the sound of Dax’s laughter faded, leaving her with a small empty feeling that she quickly tried to push aside. Riley stopped Gary with a hand on his arm. “How do we keep him from becoming a vampire?”
Gary looked at her for a long time, obviously choosing his words carefully. “The Carpathians are born with a soul that must find its other half. The light to their darkness. Only that soul can restore colors and emotions and prevent a Carpathian male too long in the world without those things from turning. Without that one woman who is the other half of his soul, he will choose between giving up his soul and becoming the very thing he hunts, or he must seek the dawn and suicide. He must find his lifemate.”
At the word her heart clenched. She pressed her hand over her heart, suddenly barely able to breathe, her mind racing. “Gary, what’s the Carpathian word for lifemate?”
Gary looked her straight in the eye. “Päläfertiilam.”
Riley slowly nodded her head, trying hard not to notice that her blood surged hotly at the word, or that her mind continually reached for Dax. She pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. “I understand.”
“Do you?” Gary asked.
She shrugged. “Not really, but I’m certain I’ll figure it out.”
Outside the tent, ash blanketed everything. It was still falling through the canopy of trees, turning everything a snowy gray. Riley looked around, easily spotting Jubal and Ben along with some natives gathered around a central fire pit. The camp was surprisingly large. As she walked toward Jubal and Ben, another group of men came in from a trail off to her right.
She spied Alejandro, one of their guides, along with Miguel, Hector, Don, and Mack Shelton. They were obviously one of the returning search parties, but since there was no sign of Marty or Pedro among their numbers, it seemed clear their search hadn’t been successful.
Jubal approached. “Hey, Riley. Good to see you up and about. You feeling okay?”
“I’m good, thanks.” She turned to watch the returning search party. “Gary told me Marty and Pedro went missing.”
“Yeah. Looks like they still are. Can’t say if that’s good news or bad.”
“Vampires like to play with their victims,” Gary explained in a quiet voice. “Turning people into walking puppets isn’t uncommon. If Mitro is the reason those two are missing, whoever finds them will probably get a very unpleasant surprise.”
Riley spun around in shock. “Did you tell them that?” She nodded her head in the search party’s direction, lowering her voice so they wouldn’t hear.
Gary and Jubal’s silence was all the answer she needed.
“Why wouldn’t you tell them? If you’re sending out a search party and putting them in harm’s way, shouldn’t they know what they’re dealing with?” She scrubbed her hand over her face. “Gary, Jubal, how fair is that?”
For the second time since waking, she felt the sensation of a warm hand touching her back, calming her and drawing the focus of her anger away from Jubal and Gary. She turned to glance behind her, but no one was there.
“We considered it highly unlikely they’d find Marty or Pedro,” Gary said. “Before Dax went to sleep, he ran a preliminary search in a five-mile radius around the camp, and found nothing.”
“Riley, you have to understand,” Jubal added when she continued to shake her head. “Gary and I swore an oath, to keep the Carpathians’ secrets at all cost and by doing so keep their race safe. We didn’t make that vow lightly, and we don’t keep it lightly. There are men, women and children . . .” He paused for a fraction. “And babies counting on us.” He watched the returning members of the search party as they separated and sought out their own tents, and his expression turned resolute. “We will not fail them. We can’t share even a hint of what we know with others. Too many lives depend on our silence—not to mention, do you really think the likes of Don Weston would believe us?”
“Gary, how long have you known about the Carpathians?” Riley asked.
“For some time now,” he admitted. “Several years.”
“And in that time you’ve never told anyone else about them? Ever?” Her question made the two men go still, as if she had touched something sacred.
After a long silence, Jubal finally said, “Riley, you’re the first person either of us has ever told.” The way he said it made her wonder how these two men lived with such a big secret. How the world looked to them, as they went into coffee shops and airports, listened to news reports about unexplained events, knowing what they knew.
The ground under her seemed to shift a little. Riley looked down and sent a thought spiraling into the ground. Go to sleep. I’m not dealing with you right now.
Riley tried to put herself in Gary’s and Jubal’s shoes, to imagine what she’d do in their place. If an entire race of beings depended on her for survival, would she betray their trust and reveal their secrets to others? Or would she keep their secrets even if that meant she might put other people in danger?
Truth be told, she’d already made that choice. She and her mother, both. They had come here to this mountain to work the ritual that had been passed down from generation to generation. Her mother had known about the evil imprisoned in the mountain, but she hadn’t warned the others in their party. Neither had Riley, when the secret fell to her to keep. She’d done what needed to be done. Was she really any different than Gary and Jubal?
“Riley, I know it’s hard for you to understand. It’s hard for us to withhold information when we know it might cost lives. But have you ever been a part of something so important that your own needs become insignificant? That’s what this is to us.” Jubal paused to let his words sink in.
“Even though we can’t talk about what we know, we still do what we can to protect the innocent,” Gary added. “Like the way we accompanied you up the volcano. We suspected what was up there. We couldn’t tell you our suspicions, but we came with you to protect you all the same.”
Riley saw the same defenseless honesty in Gary’s face that she had in Jubal’s. That helped put her own feelings of guilt to rest.
She felt Dax before he spoke to her this time. They are both great men, sivamet, both have tremendous capacity for caring for others. It is a very rare trait. It is no wonder my people have chosen to bring them in.
Dax had a way of bringing a calming stability when he spoke to her. They helped as much as they could on the trip here, and on the mountain. I owe them a debt. It was odd speaking in her head to someone, but she had to admit she liked the intimacy of it. Strangely, when his voice filled her mind, she sometimes caught a hint of life, his memories, as if more than just his voice had enter
ed her mind.
It seems we both do. Riley heard the conviction in his voice.
If you’re going to keep talking to me, I don’t see why you’re pretending to sleep.
Riley could almost see him smiling. I will rise soon. I find I can withstand the sun even longer now than I could before. However, since I doubt Mitro has gone far, I need to conserve my strength.
All the more reason you should stop talking. I’m sure it takes energy to speak to me like this. She wasn’t at all sure she was right, but she remembered how completely drained she’d felt after she healed him.
Riley, I find that I only gain from speaking with you. As for strength, I find myself stronger than I have ever been before, but thank you for your concern.
Riley took a deep breath. You called me päläfertiilam.
Yes. There was no hesitation. He exuded complete confidence.
She felt another surge of heat curling through her body like a wave. I asked Gary for the translation. He said it meant lifemate and that there is only one.
Gary is correct. You possess the other half of my soul. You are the keeper of my heart.
Again, she felt that wave of heat rush over her. How do you know?
I know. He spoke with that same confidence.
How will I know?
This time she felt his smile, his joy. I will share my mind with you. Court you. Persuade you. I can be quite charming when necessary.
Without warning, goose bumps prickled across Riley’s arms. The smile faded from her face. She turned instinctively toward the trail the search party had returned from. The smell of rotting vegetation, one of the jungle’s inescapable aromas, seemed stronger than usual. She realized the song from the plants and earth she had heard since waking had changed, becoming discordant.
Mitro is attacking, Dax told her. Do not fear. You are safe. He sounded certain, but she wasn’t feeling it.
“Safe? I’ve seen what he can do. I’ve felt it. And what do you mean he’s attacking? From where? How?” She gestured to Jubal and Gary, mouthing “Mitro is attacking.”
It’s nothing I cannot stop. He is simply trying to weaken me by forcing me to protect this village while the sun is still up. A group of men and women he has corrupted are moving toward us. You have the ability to track them through the earth if you so choose.
“They’re coming,” she told Gary and Jubal. “Men and women under Mitro’s power.”
Gary ran toward the big tent without a word. Jubal gave her a pat on the shoulder and turned to shout commands in the local dialect. The entire camp erupted with activity, men gathering weapons and preparing for a fight, women hustling children to safety.
“What should I do?” She felt the rush in her body, but was at a loss at what to do about it.
Stay close to the center of camp. And breathe, sivamet.
She felt like an idiot, but she took a moment and tried to calm down.
Good, remember, I will always be with you. I won’t let any harm come to you. She felt invisible arms wrap around her, and the taint of evil washed away, replaced with warm strength. I can sense Mitro’s puppets coming from the neighboring village, but I want you to try and “feel” them. Then we will set a defensive perimeter. Dax showed an image of her sliding her hands in the ground.
Riley knelt down. When she put her hands in the earth before, she’d felt compelled, like the earth itself was asking her to communicate. This time, she was the one doing the asking. She wasn’t sure she really knew what to do—or that she could even do it. Taking a breath, she put her hands together as if she was going to dive into a pool and slowly pushed her fingers down into the earth.
The packed soil shifted, loosening so that her hands plunged in with ease. Surprise gave way to exhilaration as her world changed again. The song of the earth was strong and rich. It hummed up her arms, through her veins and along her nerve endings, a harmonious vibration that filled her with a sense of vast, ancient power and limitless strength. She closed her eyes, sitting back on her heels and savoring the sensation.
Use what the earth offers, Dax advised. Stretch out your senses.
There was nothing on earth not connected to it. She had the wild idea that she could even sense what was happening on the other side of the world, if she tried hard enough. As it was, however, she confined herself to a slightly less grandiose effort. Instead of the world, she reached out to the earth nearby. Her awareness radiated out to all corners of the camp and then beyond, moving through the sandy soil of the rain forest until she located the group moving with deadly purpose toward the camp.
“Dear God.” She could feel the misery, the rage, the evil taint that clung to them like a foul muck.
Riley, remember you’re in control. Your job is to gather information. We need to see how many people are coming, and what sort of surprises Mitro has in store for us. You’re doing great.
Riley steeled herself and tried to look at the mob. In her mind’s eye, she saw the top of a recently shaved head bobbing in front of her. Then another head, this one covered in bloody scratch marks that were already bubbling with infection. She was looking through the eyes of a tree frog, watching as the mob passed by below his perch in the branches.
Frustrated that she couldn’t make out more, she pushed out with her power. Her hands sank deeper into the earth. The tips of her boots sank, too. A second view of the mob appeared, and it was like she had two sets of eyes, watching from two separate angles. Then a third pair of eyes expanded her vision, and a fourth. It was difficult to adjust to the multiple visual inputs.
Breathe, Riley, you are doing great. Let the fear go. You can do this. I’m right beside you. And he was. She could feel him under her, around her, inside her, sharing her mind. At the moment, it didn’t feel creepy or disturbing. She wanted him there, wanted him with her. Good, now focus on what you want. Trust your gifts to do the rest.
There are so many eyes. Where do I focus? Her head hurt. Images were pouring in now, dozens of different wildlife feeding their vision into her mind, each with a different perspective of the advancing threat.
His voice was steady, reassuring, as if they had all the time in the world and this was simply an exercise, not a matter of life and death. Pick a single image and then focus on one small detail.
“Okay, I’ll try.” She chose the first “screen,” the one that came in from the tree frog.
She was once more looking down on the tops of the people as they moved past. One head caught her attention. A woman. Her straight, thick black hair was covered with leaves and ash, like most of the others, but she had something stuck in her hair. An ornament made of bone, carved and painted. Riley could make out the swirls of red and white paint beneath the streaks of ash. She locked her focus on that hair ornament, and as the woman continued on the frog tracked her with its eyes until the hair ornament disappeared from its view.
The image of the woman immediately changed to a different perspective. Now she was watching the woman from a spot ahead of her, but she still had a clear view of the ornament in her hair. Riley could see part of the woman’s face but she didn’t want to get lost, so she stayed focused on that single detail. As the woman walked, Riley’s vision began switching from view to view. The viewpoint switches started coming faster and faster, until Riley thought she was going to lose herself.
Dax poured waves of reassurance into her, and as if blinds had opened to let sunlight stream in, her mind expanded, using the eyes of every insect, bird and beast nearby to form clear, three-dimensional images of the party.
The entire party of the hundred or so villagers advancing on Riley’s encampment were bent on killing her and everyone with her.
11
Riley was shocked at the clarity of her new, stereoscopic vision, which was so far superior to her own, unenhanced
eyesight. All of the details and color, the ability to magnify images and see multiple locations at the same time was incredible. It should have been overwhelming, but miraculously, she was fine. She could do this.
Mitro’s minions were making a straight line for the encampment, destroying everything that attempted to slow them down. It was clear they had come from a local village. And even though everything about them felt evil and wrong, she found it hard to believe all of them had willingly succumbed to Mitro’s foul control. Some of the women had baby cradles strapped to their backs!
Dax, wait. What are we going to do to these people? Kill them? There are mothers in that group!
They were mothers, Riley. Were. The men and women coming toward us are already gone from this world. Only their physical husks remain. Vampires take pleasure in digging out the insides of what they despise and can no longer be, replacing it with the foul evil they have become.
Can’t you save any of them?
I wish I could, sivamet, but it is not possible. Those people are truly gone. The only humane thing to do is put their bodies to rest. I am sorry. Empathy radiated through their connection.
There were no children in the mob, and Riley’s heart broke at the thought of what might already have happened to them. Their parents clearly had not given up without a fight. Almost all of the oncoming villagers bore signs of brutal struggle, including deep furrows scratched into their bodies and faces.
Riley could feel the plant life trying to bend away from the taint of evil the group carried with them. Suddenly her vision went blurry, as if the eyes through which she was watching had lost their focus. She pulled back, closing off all but a few of the viewpoints until she was staring at the approaching group from above. That was when she realized there were several people wearing similar hair ornaments in the row. She counted eight different people, each wearing the same small bone adornment. There was something about them that made her skin prickle. She stretched out her senses and nearly gagged at the overwhelming stench of evil that radiated from them. The earth cringed beneath their feet, insects scurrying away, plant roots withering beneath each step.
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