However, Elisia grabbed his arm and smiled up at him. “Let her go, Vincent. I promise you that she will be all right.” He looked down at Elisia with a worried expression for a few seconds, and then he smiled and nodded at Jamie. Jamie handed Mouse her backpack and shouldered her crossbow and quiver of arrows as she walked to the cavern wall to start climbing.
After they got everyone safely hidden in the cave, and Jamie was on her way up the cavern wall, Vincent, Tanimus, and Elisia shed their backpacks as well, handed them to Gideon, and then went hunting for Diana. They went back down the tunnel they had come from to see if they could track whoever took her. Vincent noticed that Elisia had put her hand on what looked like a small gun of some sort that was in an holster around her waist.
Vincent asked Elisia about it. “Is that the weapon you used against Paracelsus’ followers, Elisia?”
Elisia smiled at Vincent as she answered. “Yes, we call it an ion-tet stunner. It is a non-lethal weapon we have developed, which has an effect similar to a taser gun. It uses a combination of laser ionization and a tetanizing high-voltage frequency to stun the victim without causing any permanent damage. It renders them helpless for at least an hour.”
While Tanimus, Vincent, and Elisia were hunting for Diana, Jamie was climbing up the cavern wall to the ledge she had seen from below. That position was halfway up, and from it she could clearly see the mouth of the cave where they had left their precious charges. On the ledge, Jamie was only partially hidden between two large rock formations, with a small cave behind her, and she had her crossbow loaded and ready. She had laid her quiver of arrows down beside her. Suddenly, a large muscular arm wrapped around Jamie’s waist from behind, while at the same time, an huge fur-covered hand clamped over her mouth, stifling the cry of surprise which rose in her throat. She was snatched back into the cave just as a bullet hit the rock formation she had been standing next to and ricocheted off it.
Jamie found herself lifted off the ground with her back against a muscular torso, and her head held back against a broad shoulder. She looked up into the dark eyes of a very tall Tandin man with a brown mane in his late twenties. He took his hand off her mouth, but he still held her against him as he smiled down at her.
Jamie stuttered, “I—You—um—I’m—a—grateful?”
The Tandin’s eyes were twinkling as he said, “I’m very pleased to meet you, Grateful! I’m Dresden.”
Dresden’s teasing snapped Jamie back to her normal feisty personality. She shook her head and said, “Oh, perfect! Cathy gets rescued by the smart Tandin, and I get rescued by the smart-Alec Tandin!”
Dresden whispered in her ear, “Sorry! You are just so adorable when you’re rattled that I couldn’t resist.” He slowly lowered her to the ground. Feeling his hard muscles rippling against her back on the way down sent a thrill through Jamie’s entire body that she had never felt before, and she closed her eyes and gasped in confusion. As Jamie turned around and stared at him, Dresden then said, “Now, stay put in the cave, little Princess, while I go dispatch these two bad guys.”
Dresden then stepped out of the cave, leaving Jamie open-mouthed, and he leaped up onto a large rock. He had taken his ion-tet stunner out of its holster. Taking position and aiming his weapon, Dresden growled a warning to the two men creeping toward the cave where Father’s people were hiding. They turned and fired wildly
up at Dresden. Just as Dresden fired his weapon twice, stunning both of them into helpless unconsciousness, Jamie jumped out of the cave behind him and fired her crossbow. The man above and to the right of Dresden, who had a lethal bead on him with a gun, fell to a lower ledge, screaming in pain, with an arrow through his firing hand. His gun fell into the floor of the cavern bouncing several times before it landed.
Dresden whirled around and watched the injured man fall, and then he stared down at his petite rescuer. “I guess I was a little distracted.” Then he smiled warmly at Jamie. “You saved me, little Princess!”
Jamie couldn’t help but smile up at him. “It was my turn! By the way, my name is Jamie.” She picked up her quiver and put it back on her shoulder.
Dresden jumped down to Jamie, and held out his hand, “Let’s get back in the cave where it is safer, Jamie.” Jamie took his hand, and looked up at the screaming man. “What about him?”
Dresden looked up at him and said, “Don’t worry about him. He isn’t going anywhere. My people will retrieve him after they make sure there aren’t any more snipers.”
The moment Dresden said that, he heard loose rocks falling above them and saw the glint of a gun in the flickering lamplight. He tackled Jamie to the ground with his huge hand behind her head to protect it from the rock floor, shielding her body with his, as another shot was
fired at them. Once again, it ricocheted off the boulder beside them. The arrows flew out of Jamie’s quiver as the two of them hit the ground together. Once more, Jamie found herself staring up into the very worried eyes of Dresden as he hovered over the top of her, and she felt her head comfortably cradled in his huge hand.
“Are you all right?” Dresden asked her.
“Thanks to you, I’m just fine, Dresden.” Jamie replied, and then she caught sight of his left sleeve which had a spreading stain of blood on it. She cried out in horror, “Oh, Dresden, you’re hurt!”
Jamie scrambled out from under Dresden, dropping her quiver in the process, and then she knelt beside him. She reached for his arm, but he grabbed her wrist and said, “Not here, Jamie, we need to get back into the cave and under cover first.” While Dresden was getting to his feet, Jamie collected her crossbow, quiver, and arrows. Dresden grabbed Jamie’s hand with his good one and led her quickly back into the cave.
Once inside the cave, Jamie tossed her weapon down. She became all business, and Dresden was intrigued by her deliberate attempt to ignore his obvious interest in her. Both human and Tandin girls and women had thrown themselves at him his entire life, but Jamie was different. Dresden found that refreshing and completely irresistible. Jamie dragged a smiling Dresden to a boulder against the wall and seated him on it. She ignored his amused delight as she ripped his sleeve open to look at
the wound on his arm. Dresden chuckled at her look of alarm. “It’s just a scratch, Jamie. The bullet only grazed me. Don’t worry so.”
Jamie looked Dresden squarely in the eyes as she said sternly, “Oh, shut up, you big Brute! I’ve worked with Father and Mary enough in our hospital chamber to know that you don’t ignore something like this. It needs to be cleaned and dressed.”
Dresden did his best to look penitent. “Yes, ma’m, 111 try to behave.”
Jamie retorted, “I doubt that you know how!”
She went to her backpack and pulled out her first-aid supplies and a flashlight. Jamie was doing her best to maintain control of this situation and stay calm. In reality, Dresden had Jamie completely off balance and rattled, and he was very aware of how flustered she was. He found it very charming and flattering, and he was having a thoroughly good time. He was surprised by what he was feeling for this girl, and his heart began pounding when she returned with what she needed to treat his wound.
Jamie had laid her first-aid supplies on the boulder beside Dresden, and now she stood in front of him holding the flashlight. She put it in his good right hand and said, “Here, make yourself useful, and hold the flashlight for me, so I can see what I am doing. The light from your lantern isn’t sufficient to work by.” He smiled at her, pointed it at his wounded arm, and turned it on.
Jamie then poured disinfectant on some gauze and started to clean the wound. On impulse, Dresden pulled her onto his lap and said, “Sit down; youll be more comfortable while you do that.” Then he proceeded to wrap the arm he was using to hold the flashlight around her and pointed it at the wound again.
Jamie’s eyes became huge, and she blinked at him a couple of times. She quickly regained her composure, though, and said, “I’m making allowances for you because you are hurt. Don’t
think you will get away with that all the time!”
Afraid that she might startle and run like a deer, Dresden sat perfectly still while Jamie worked on his arm. He thought, “What a lovely little spitfire! I’ve never seen anything like her before.” Dresden watched her work with deft expertise as she gently shaved the fur away from his wound, cleaned it, pulled the edges together with butterfly bandages, and then dressed it. He was enjoying the thrill of her touch as her tiny hands gently handled his muscular arm.
When Jamie was finished, Dresden fully expected her to bolt from his lap without delay, but she just sat there. Then, he became aware of the distress she had been hiding under all of that feisty bravado. All of the frightening recent events came crashing down on her, and her lower lip began to tremble. Jamie burst into tears and started sobbing. Dresden turned off the flashlight and laid it down on the boulder beside him. He wrapped his
arms around Jamie, pulled her against his chest, and just held her and let her cry as he gently rocked her. He was heartbroken to see Jamie so upset, but he realized that she needed this emotional release.
When the wracking sobs subsided, and she was finally quiet, Dresden put a large warm hand under Jamie’s chin and lifted her face, so he could look directly into her tear-swollen eyes. “I promise you we will get Diana back unharmed, Jamie.” Suddenly, as she gazed into Dresden’s eyes, so filled with concern for her emotional welfare, a bond was formed between them, and she could feel his strength filling her entire being. She smiled up at him as Dresden gently brushed the tears off Jamie’s cheeks and then took her hand and kissed it.
“Are you hungry?” Dresden smiled at Jamie as she nodded her head. He stood up with her in his arms and then set her carefully down on the boulder where he had been, as he went to his backpack and pulled out a meal for them.
Meanwhile, Diana was stirring back to consciousness. Fortunately, she became aware of her circumstances before opening her eyes. She pretended to still be unconscious, so she could reestablish her telepathic link with Elisia. Diana reached out to her. “Elisia, are you there?”
Elisia replied, “There you are! We were really worried. Are you all right?”
Diana answered, “I’m not physically hurt, but I’m seated on the floor of what I assume is a cavern, and my hands are tied behind me around what must be a narrow stalagmite. I haven’t opened my eyes yet, so Adrian still thinks that I’m unconscious. I can hear him talking to Jonathan Pope somewhere nearby. I’m sure they have my gun. They took me completely by surprise with chloroform. I didn’t comprehend what was happening in time to alert you. Joe was with me. Did they get him too?”
Elisia explained what happened. “No, Diana, but he is still unconscious with an head wound from being struck with a rock. Apparently two men attacked you both simultaneously. Joe has been treated, and he is going to be fine, but they took his gun as well.”
Diana then asked her, “Elisia, I remember that Tanimus told us that Gaylin was able to link him with Loren, so he could see what Loren saw when she was running away from Adrian and when he strangled her.
Can you remotely view and hear what I do also?”
Elisia replied, “I’m sorry, Diana, my abilities are not that powerful. However, I think I can manage to link you with Uncle Tanimus, so he can see and hear what you do. Do you want to try that? It would involve opening your mind to him, and that is a type of mental intimacy that some people are uncomfortable with.”
Diana was relieved. “Elisia, if Tanimus is comfortable trying that, I am definitely willing. It would be so much
simpler for him to see and hear what I do rather than trying to relay it to you after I hear and see it.”
Elisia told her, “Give me a minute, Diana, so I can explain what is happening to Vincent and Uncle Tanimus. Meanwhile, just try to relax and open your mind.” After a few minutes, Elisia was back in Diana’s mind. “Diana, Uncle Tanimus is going to try to establish a connection with you now. This may feel strange to you. What we will do essentially amounts to a conference call. He will link with my mind. Then we will be together in your mind. After we are sure that you and he can hear each other, 111 get out of your mind. Are you ready?”
Diana tried to stay relaxed as she opened her mind and tried to empty it. “I’m ready, Elisia.”
Elisia told her, “Now, just stay relaxed until you hear Uncle Tanimus’voice. Then reply to him. I will definitely be able to hear you. If he does also, then 111 back out.”
It was only a moment before Diana heard Tanimus. “Diana, can you hear me?”
Diana replied immediately. “Yes, Tanimus, I can hear you. Will you be able to also see and hear what I do now?” Tanimus replied, “I can already hear the other men, and I know that your eyes are closed. Yes, we have an excellent link. You have a truly wonderful strong mind. When you open your eyes, just scan as much of where you are as possible. Hopefully, there will be something that will help us to locate you.”
Diana opened her eyes and straightened up. She had
been right about the stalagmite she was tied to. It was slender enough that she was able to stand up as the ropes she was tied with slid up the formation. She scanned the entire sizeable cavern as she stepped in a circle around the stalagmite. Adrian and Pope were talking together at the back of the cave. Diana was tied up about ten feet inside the mouth of the cave near the middle. There were four armed mercenaries in this cavern, and they were all now leering at Diana. She stayed calm and didn’t give them the satisfaction of appearing rattled by their obvious lust for her. She was grateful for her profiling skills which assured her that Adrian had other intentions which probably didn’t include making her a party favor for his troops.
When Adrian became aware that Diana was awake, he approached her with a derisive smile. “Well, I see you are finally awake. I should have known a whole lot sooner that Vincent was hiding you in the tunnels. It never occurred to me, though, that Joe Maxwell was in on Vincent’s secret. If he survives that blow to the head, he’ll have a nasty headache which will make me smile!” Diana gave him a steady look and didn’t reply. “What’s the matter? Don’t you feel like having a conversation with me?”
Diana replied calmly, “It isn’t high on my list of priorities right now.”
Adrian then used his commanding tone. “Tell me about the woman that was being transported on the
gurney.”
Diana didn’t allow her alarm to show as she answered. “That is Penny, a woman from Vincent’s community. She has a brain tumor and is now in a coma. The Tandins think that they can help her, so we were taking her to their clinic.”
A look of pure fury came over Adrian’s countenance, and he backhanded Diana with a vicious blow across her face, splitting her lip and cutting her cheek with his opal ring. Diana was seeing stars, but she stayed silent. His tone was acid. “You think you’re really smart, don’t you, you little witch! Catherine Chandler’s face is one of the most easily recognized of all of New York’s socialites. So, my brother managed to botch killing her. All of Vincent’s family is alive, but you killed my brother.”
Diana realized that, at this point, she had better engage Adrian in conversation in order to keep him distracted from more diabolical thinking. He was obviously unstable, and she wanted to get his thoughts off Catherine. “Your brother needed killing, Adrian. He was certifiably insane, and he made a total mess of your plans. If Vincent hadn’t stopped him, he would have smothered Vincent’s child. Gabriel even sent Snow after Vincent to kill him, and I know that wasn’t what you had in mind to do. Your plans were much grander and smarter. At least when I killed Gabriel, I left you a body to bury. If I hadn’t stopped Vincent, when Gabriel tried to kill his baby, all you would have ended up with was an unrecognizable pile
of hamburger.”
Adrian actually appeared mollified after Diana stroked his ego. What he said next Diana had been fully expecting, based on the conversation she had heard between him and Jonathan Pope when she was in Dr.
Vlas’ secret office. “I was going to kill you for killing my brother, but I have decided that another use for you would be more profitable. You are young and healthy. You will make a perfect breeder for Vincent’s children. Obviously, Catherine Chandler is out of the picture, even if she isn’t quite dead.”
Diana kept him talking. “How did you find your way down here, Adrian?”
Adrian began gloating. “You left the blueprints for Gabriel’s mansion in the old man’s secret office, instead of taking them with you when you found and took his journals. What you didn’t realize was that among those blueprints was a map of the tunnels between the mansion and the Tandin world. I found the room, and I found the map. I figured that eventually Vincent would travel between worlds. What I didn’t realize was that I would end up with you as a bonus. You are the perfect bargaining chip. Obviously he cares about you a great deal, because you saved his infant. If he doesn’t cooperate, 111 kill you, and 111 detonate the plastik I’ve lined a parallel tunnel with. That would flood the tunnels here with water from an East River spur adjacent to these tunnels and kill all of you.”
Diana tried not to look panicked as she asked, “And how will you escape the flood?”
Adrian gave her a gleefully evil smile. “We found an escape route to levels above this one before we ever set the charges.”
Back in the large cave, Gideon had been keeping Father’s people informed as he received information from Tanimus. They had all been very relieved that Elisia and Tanimus had established a link with Diana and that she wasn’t in any imminent danger. Now, he informed them about Adrian’s threat to flood the tunnels with plastik explosives in a parallel tunnel. Tanimus wanted them ready to flee at a moment’s notice.
A few minutes later, Laura began signing frantically to Rebecca, and Rebecca cried out, “Where is Mouse?”
Mouse had disappeared from the cave, and Gideon relayed that information to Tanimus.
Mouse had been named largely due to his ability to slip in and out of places undetected, and he used that ability now. When he heard Gideon say that Adrian had planted plastik explosives in a parallel tunnel east of their position, he knew that he had to disarm the devices. He was very knowledgeable about plastik, because he had used it with remote detonators to free Father and Vincent from a cave-in a couple of years earlier. Elliott Burch had supplied him with the explosives and the devices. He had
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