by Bianca D’Arc
They had locked and booby trapped the basement door after they were all through it to prevent any bad guys from getting in behind them without their knowledge. They would do the same for the rest of the doors as they went. The only way open to them now was forward.
Bob had tucked Father Vincenzo’s cross under his shirt, against his skin. As long as it was in contact with his skin, he figured it would allow him to see any bad stuff that might be in the mine. Like the eerie red glow in the passageway ahead.
Shit.
He tapped out the pre-arranged signal that would only be audible within a few yards. Instantly, the wolves froze. Bob moved forward, to take point, using the hand signals his brothers had taught him to communicate to the wolves what he had in mind.
There was something weird about the corridor ahead. Something was glowing red and only he could see it. When he got to the front of the short line of men, he lifted the cross out away from his skin, muffling its effects in the fabric of his T-shirt. Sure enough, the red glow faded away. When he released the cross to once again lay against his skin, the glow returned.
Bob inched closer, trying to get a good look at what might be causing the phenomenon. When he rounded the slight bend in the narrow passageway, he cursed under his breath. Magical glyphs glowed on the walls of the tunnel, and angry red scar on the surface, forming a circle around the passageway. The walls, floor and ceiling held the evil symbols and Bob didn’t know enough about magic to see a way around it.
A hand touched his elbow and he turned to see Joe at his side. Bob went back around the slight curve in the tunnel. The bend would muffle the sound of what he needed to say.
But before he could open his mouth, the ground trembled. A massive earthquake made the entire mountain sway. Bob looked for Serena before ducking for cover himself. He was relieved to see the werewolf Alpha had sheltered her under his own body. John was a good man and Bob would owe him one for looking after her—if they made it out of this alive.
When the shaking finally stopped, a fine layer of dirt and some rocks that had been in the ceiling and walls were now on the ground. A couple of rocks had hit the guys, but all were smart enough to cover their heads. The scent of blood was sharp in Bob’s nose, but the wounds were minor. A few cuts and scrapes. Everybody was okay. For now.
Serena didn’t let anyone hold her back once the ground stopped shaking. She moved right up next to Bob and put her hand in his. He could feel her trembling, but she didn’t make a sound. His girl was a trooper.
Bob peeked around the bend and much to his surprise, the red glow was gone. He tried removing and replacing the cross against his skin and the results were the same both ways. No more glow.
“I was going to report a magical blockage ahead,” he said in the lowest possible tones so that only Joe and Serena could hear him. “But I think the earthquake nullified the spell. There were glowing glyphs, but I can’t see them anymore. I’m going to take a closer look. Keep everybody else back until I give the signal.”
He squeezed Serena’s hand once before letting go and moving around the bend again. Sure enough, the symbols were fading even as he watched. A part of the ceiling, right where the glyphs had been, had collapsed and the dirt and rocks scattered, taking the spell with them. The rest of the circle faded to nothing and then were no more. It was like their energy had been absorbed into the earth, the spell unsustainable without that big chunk of the ceiling.
The rest of the passageway looked sturdy enough. Just that area where the spell had been was gone, which led Bob to believe that perhaps the Goddess was giving them a helping hand. He knew damn well that nobody in their group had the skills necessary to negate that magical ring. Without the timely intervention of the earthquake, they’d have been truly stuck, and probably would have had to turn back.
He gave the hand signal and the rest of the group joined him on silent feet. They began moving steadily forward once more.
This side tunnel met up with a much wider, main passageway around the next bend. There were no more doors. No more keys. Just open tunnel from here on out. Bob figured it was a sure bet the Venifucus had scouted the part of the mine they were about to enter. He would have to be on the lookout for any more signs of spells. The mage had probably set up things that would warn him if anything moved in the tunnel system that wasn’t supposed to be there. It made sense that the barrier that had come down in the quake had been something like that, though Bob was certainly no expert.
They joined the larger passageway and everyone went on even higher alert. They could run into enemy forces at any time now. Bob recalled the map they had studied. Between them and their goal—the main entrance that had been hollowed out to form a staging area for the rest of the mine—were two natural caverns. Somewhere between those two caverns was the passage that had been marked with the sign for a bottomless pit.
The line of men behind him reshuffled as Joe gave orders through hand signals. Bob stayed up front as the magic-detector. He didn’t like being separated from Serena, even by a few yards, but he knew he had to be on the lookout for magical traps. Joe was at Bob’s side, also on point now that the passageway was wide enough.
Bob glanced over the group and realized Joe had partnered Serena with John. The Alpha would take good care of her, Bob knew, if for no other reason than he loved his sister and his sister liked Serena. Of all the wolves, John perhaps, understood Serena the best. He knew what she had suffered in the past at the hands of her former Clan. Plus, Bob had sensed something from the other Alpha. There was a sense of kinship—a bond that was hard to put into words.
They approached the first cavern cautiously. If there were going to be larger groups of enemy troops, they would likely be in one or both of the caverns. Bob gave the signal to halt when a flash of glowing red met his gaze. More glyphs. He moved slowly, craning his head to get a better look. As before, the magical symbols ringed the cavern entrance with their evil light.
“What?” Joe asked quietly, coming up beside Bob.
In answer, Bob took the silver cross out of his shirt and gestured for Joe to touch it. He looked skeptical, but reached out carefully to put one finger on the small silver cross.
“Look,” Bob advised, his gaze moving toward the glowing red glyphs surrounding the cavern entrance.
“Sweet Mother of All,” Joe breathed as he saw the evil magic for the first time. That experiment confirmed to Bob that the cross could be used by others, not just him. It truly did allow the blind to see—those who were blind to magic could see its presence when touching the ancient silver talisman.
Joe let go after a moment and nodded to Bob. “What now?”
“It’s probably empty,” Bob answered, risking the brief conversation but keeping his voice as quiet as possible.
“Let’s look,” Joe answered already moving to one side.
They moved closer in unison, peering into the cavern, moving in tiny increments. If Bob’s guess was right, the entrance had been warded to prevent anyone or anything from coming or going. If he was right, the cavern would be empty.
Sure enough, when he and Joe peered in from opposite sides of the opening, only dark emptiness met their gaze. The tiny amount of light that filtered down from air vents allowed them to see into the far recesses of the cavern and it was well and truly empty. So far, so good.
At that moment, the earth shook again, a little more violently this time. Once again, Bob looked first to make sure Serena was covered. Two of the soldiers had her between them, sheltering her under their hunched bodies. Bob bent over, protecting his head as best he could while the mountain rumbled its displeasure. He could almost feel its anger at being disturbed, and yet…
There was a feeling of deliberate purpose in the tremor as well. Bob had never been overly religious or magical in any way, but he felt something as a section of the cavern’s entrance crumbled before him. A big rock narrowly missed hitting him and he stumbled back in surprise, his cat reflexes taking him out of the path o
f danger just in time to see the cavern entrance break up on one side, the evil glyphs winking out of existence as the wall of rock and earth they were bound to crumbled.
Hot damn. If he hadn’t thought it before, he now knew the Lady was clearing the way for them.
The tremor ceased and Bob looked up to find that everyone seemed to be all right from this round of dust and rocks pelting them. Serena popped up and he went to her side. Joe reorganized his group and was at Bob’s side a moment later.
“Same thing as before,” Bob reported. “The tremor broke the spell. We can use the cavern. I think the Lady wants us to. It’s like She is clearing our path.”
John nodded, having joined them. “I feel it too. Koma Kulshan rumbles to the Great Spirit’s design. She is angry, but helpful to those of us who seek to help Her.”
“That’s good because we need a place to stash Waldo. A big rock hit his ankle. He’s not going to be able to move for a while.” Joe looked back at the man who stood on one foot, holding his assault rifle in one hand and bracing his arms against the rock wall beside him with the other. The man who had been smiling as he flipped sizzling fish only an hour ago now looked pissed, and more than a little embarrassed.
“Damn. I missed that. I didn’t think anyone was hurt,” Bob admitted.
Joe shrugged. “Why do you think we call him Waldo? Dude is like a chameleon. Blends in whenever he wants. But he’s too hurt to go on. We can leave him here in the cavern and I would suggest leaving your lady too. She’ll be safe with him to guard her.” Joe smiled at Serena, who was bristling a bit at Bob’s side. “Or maybe she can guard him. Either way, I don’t want to leave anyone on their own down here. It would be good to leave a team to guard our back trail.”
Bob turned to Serena, ignoring the other men for a moment. “Much as I want you by my side, he does have a point.” Bob reached out, tracing her soft cheek with the back of one finger. She met his gaze and he saw understanding begin to replace anger. Her gaze still held a healthy dose of fear, but she was gaining strength even as he watched. “Waldo can’t go on as he is and someone needs to stay with him.”
“It makes sense for me to stay,” she finally admitted in a small voice. “Even I can defend a cave with only one entrance.”
He held her gaze for a long moment. “You’re one in a million, sweetheart.” He leaned in and delivered a hard kiss, not caring who watched. This was his woman. His mate. The perfect match for him in every possible way. This latest situation only proved it. He was so proud of the way she had discovered her own strength. He drew back, looking deep into her eyes. “I love you with everything that’s in me.”
“Back at’cha, big guy,” she replied, kissing him once more, lightly, before she stepped back, removing herself from his embrace.
He was kind of glad she had taken the first step away because right then, he wasn’t sure he could’ve made himself move away first. He really did love her. This situation only reinforced how perfect they were for each other. He also had to believe that the Mother of All was looking out for them. He had to have that elusive thing Father Vincenzo had always counseled him to seek—faith.
Bob sent a quick prayer up to the Goddess as Waldo moved painfully toward him. He would have to pass Bob to reach the cavern entrance. Bob watched the other man draw closer, evaluating his injury with practiced eyes, but Waldo paused in front of him.
“I won’t let anything happen to her.”
Bob held the soldier’s gaze. “See that you don’t,” he said quickly, trusting the soldier to do his duty and protect the innocent. Serena was vulnerable, but she was also strong. “And don’t underestimate her. She has a backbone of pure steel. She’ll help. You just need to give her a chance. Don’t forget, she’s a predator at heart too.”
Bob knew Serena heard his words as he looked over Waldo’s shoulder to meet her gaze. She smiled at him, the suspicious glint of tears in her eyes. Bob refocused on the man who stood painfully in front of him.
“Understood, Alpha.”
The fact that Waldo had used the respectful title for him meant something among shifters. It meant the soldier had accepted the task given by someone of higher rank that he respected. He would do all in his power to fulfill the Alpha’s expectations of him. It was a promise and a symbol of the hierarchy that made their society work, and even thrive.
Waldo nodded once more and moved on, his gait painful to watch as he entered the cavern. Serena lagged behind, waiting for Bob to meet her at the opening. He pulled her into his embrace for one last kiss.
“Free Jezza and then come back to me,” she whispered, nearly breaking his heart. “Waldo and I will make sure nobody gets past us.”
Bob looked over her shoulder and met the eyes of a giant wolf. Waldo had shifted into his animal form and Bob could see he was already getting around better on four feet than on two. He was also as dark as midnight. When his eyes closed, he just about disappeared from view. A chameleon indeed.
He kissed the top of her head and made himself release her. “Stick with the wolf and stay safe for me, kitten. I’ll be back before you know it.”
He let her go and moved to follow the rest of the soldiers. He was at the back of the group, but he would have to take his place on point as soon as they were out of sight of the cavern. Only he could see the magical traps, and everyone was moving cautiously until he got back into position.
Bob looked over his shoulder right before the passageway turned and saw Serena wave once before she disappeared into the cavern. He sent up another silent prayer to the Mother of All to keep Serena safe and rounded the bend, taking his place at the front of the expedition.
Chapter Fourteen
Bob called a halt when he saw broken timbers up ahead. The breaks were fresh. As if the old beams had fallen recently—perhaps in one of the earthquakes they had been experiencing. Was this more divine intervention? Bob could only shake his head in wonder. If he was right, the timbers had served as a barricade against the danger he had seen marked on the map.
He signaled for the rest of the team to wait while he went ahead and checked out the large, newly-opened passageway. About twenty feet in he saw it. A dark so deep even his superior night vision couldn’t penetrate it. He dropped a pebble into it and heard the rock bounce off the walls for a long, long way downward until the sound just faded out. The shaft was deeper than he could easily gauge. A mantrap if he’d ever seen one.
Bob backtracked and cleared the timbers from the entrance, scooting them to the sides of the dirt walls. He and the guys with him would recognize the timbers on the ground, but it was likely nobody else would think anything of them. Judging by the newness of the breaks in the old wood, the fall was fresh. The enemy troops probably hadn’t been able to get past the barrier and if there had been magical warding on the area, it was gone now.
It was easy to get turned around inside a cave system. Bob was betting on that—and the fact that the path had changed without enemy knowledge—to consider this a viable strategy if they ended up encountering a large force. Bob told the team what he had found and each of them looked suitably grim, but also intrigued by the new possible weapon in their arsenal. They would use anything they could to come out on the winning side of the battle ahead.
They continued down the main passageway, and Bob thankfully didn’t see any more magical glyphs. What they did see was signs of occupation. Footprints on the dusty ground. Many of them. Skid marks where things had been dragged recently. And sounds started coming to them. The sounds of men talking in low voices and moving around quietly. The sound of metal. The sharp scents of oil and gunpowder.
Joe sent him a questioning look and Bob knew the lieutenant was asking whether there were any magical telltales. Bob shook his head in the negative and moved back from the point position. He had to leave the military decisions to the lieutenant and the men he had worked with for years. They were too good a unit to interfere with.
Bob fell back while the military guys sor
ted themselves out and found himself next to John the werewolf Alpha. The ground had been rumbling under them for a while now, but there hadn’t been any more big earthquakes. It was as if the mountain was complaining, but not yet up to full tantrum strength yet. He only hoped they were out of the tunnels before it got to that point.
“You may not act like it, but you are a wise man,” John surprised him by saying. “I like the way you lead, but also listen. If we survive this, I think my Pack would benefit from a closer association with your Clan. And there are things your Clan could gain from my Pack as well. Eyes on the border, for one.”
Bob considered his words very carefully. Alliances like this weren’t really decided on his level, though he usually did a lot of the background investigation. Ultimately though, it was Grif who made the deals. He was the Clan Alpha.
But Bob had seen the Pack in action and so far, he liked what he’d seen.
“If we get out of this alive, you’ll have my support, Alpha.”
John nodded, understanding the step they had just taken toward a more formal alliance. There wasn’t time for anything else as the soldiers began to move. Joe signaled to them and Bob and John moved forward to go wherever the lieutenant would lead.
“My guys are taking the cavern. The three of us are going to see what Jezza’s been up to.”
They crept along the passageway, past the soldiers who had pre-positioned themselves at the mouth of the large cavern. Bob could hear enemy soldiers inside the larger space, but there weren’t any stationed at the entrance. As he drew closer and saw the crumbled rock and bloodstains, he thought he understood why. Somebody had been standing there during the last tremor and gotten clobbered. The rest of them were standing clear for now, which was lucky for the assault team.
The three of them edged past the opening, keeping to the shadows. The cavern had low lighting, but it wasn’t enough to reach out into the passageway and expose their presence.