by Casey Knight
I searched, stretching my aura as far as I could. Crushed again by the reality Traygen was no nearer than he had been since he went missing. I slammed back into my body. Tears rolled down my cheeks. It took me a while to rein in my emotions. It felt like I was hearing Traygen through dense insulation or under water. Pushing back the despair, I pulled myself to a standing position. I stretched, and rubbed my arms and legs. I’d been sitting so still I couldn’t feel my limbs. Satisfied I could move when Corbin returned, I scanned the immediate area. It was dark and the voices from the city filtered up through the tree leaves.
I was about to retake my seat against the tree when I sensed I wasn’t alone. I froze, hugging my body to the tree and waited. It didn’t take long for Corbin’s head to push into view. I relaxed and moved over to offer him a hand. Showing off, no doubt, he sprang up beside me. He shook the leaves from his hair and clothes. Then he turned to speak. I clamped my hand hard over his mouth, nearly knocking us both off the limb. He looked at me like I’d lost my mind. I’d seen the look before, but then he heard it too. A whirring sound or was it a flutter? I had no clue and then a squawk shattered the quiet. Just before a small guided missile shot past my face to land neatly on my shoulder.
“Did you miss me?”
“Tokem, you scared the…out of me err, well never mind. How did you find us?”
“I’m not telling you a thing until you tell me how much you missed me and how grateful you are that I’m here. Speechless aren’t you. I left Hans to guard the boat. Corbin how are you?”
Corbin reached up and grabbed Tokem and shoved him into my pocket. A low whistle broke the silence, snarls and growls filled the air, and I knew we’d been spotted or heard. Corbin motioned for me to stay put and he changed. He soared out from the tree and dropped out of sight. It was silent for a split second and then it was bedlam. It seemed like ever vampire in Dreuss was under my tree. Sadly if that wasn’t bad enough the hell hounds were wailing and circling the tree. I was just about to start firing when a shrill whistle led the hounds and vampires in the opposite direction. No one needed to tell me to scramble down the tree and run for it. I shot down the trunk and ran back the way we’d come. When I thought I’d put enough distance between myself and Dreuss, I climbed up another large tree. At least I didn’t hear anyone following us, which wasn’t a huge comfort. Since, I never heard Corbin before he scared the pee out of me.
“Is it safe to come out now?”
“Tokem, I am sorry. Yes, I think it is anyway.”
I let Tokem out of my pocket and he flew up and landed on my shoulder.
“Are you going to fill me in or what?”
“Corbin and I have come to find a man who traded Traygen’s dragon’s eye pendant in a poker game.”
“Now you’re talking, what are we waiting for? And where is Zane?”
“Tokem, Zane is dead. Vampires got him when we were ambushed in The Red Court’s capitol city. They took Corbin and me prisoners. I thought Corbin was Zane. They beat him trying to get him to tell them what we were after. He would not tell them and they would have killed him if I hadn’t gotten free.”
“Lauren, do you trust him? I mean this could be a set up.”
“Yes, I trust him. He’s saved my life several times.”
“Where is he then?”
“Right here.”
I screeched and would have fallen if Corbin hadn’t grabbed me.
“Damn it Corbin, how many times have I told you not to scare me.”
Corbin smiled as he set me back down on the branch.
“May be you should put a bell on him.” Tokem quipped as he flew out of Corbin’s reach.
“If you two are finished we had better get under ground until it is safer out here. Follow me. I think I have found a way into the sewers that run under the city.”
I for one wasn’t surprised. I think Corbin must have spent his formative years crawling under every city he inhabited. As for me, I was going to my happy place…Milan during fashion week. I just didn’t want to think about what I was walking through. We walked in silence through the woods. I wasn’t sure but, I thought we were moving in the opposite direction from the way we approached the city. After an hour or so the woods started to thin out. I could see the lights of the city no more than half a mile ahead. Whatever Corbin had in mind I hoped he would get us underground before we were spotted. There was very little cover.
Corbin motioned for me to get down and he began searching the ground in front of him. We were in a small stand of trees, which were not thick enough to offer much cover. I couldn’t tell what Corbin was looking for but I hoped he found it fast. My eyes adjusted enough for me to see we were within a hundred yards of the main road into town. This was not a place I wanted to be for very long. Before I could freak myself out any more, Corbin motioned me forward.
He moved a large rock that covered a narrow opening into who knew what. Hell no, I was not crawling into that tiny opening. Corbin sensing my reluctance moved in front of me and crawled into the opening. He disappeared from my sight and I just stared at the spot where he’d been. Before I could think, a disembodied hand shot out and pulled me in. I fell forward into the hole. Corbin caught me and lowered me to the floor of the small room. Then he reached out and pulled the rock back down over the hole. Son of a bitch, just like that we were immersed in inky blackness. Corbin crawled over to me and whispered for me to light a small flame. He didn’t need to tell me twice. My staff gave off a faint glow. It was enough for me to see about five feet. Corbin, of course, could see just fine without the light.
“Where are we,” I whispered.
“These are escape tunnels that The Red Court built in case of attack.”
“You can’t be serious. You don’t honestly think this is a good idea do you?”
“Yes, they don’t know what vampire is traveling with you. Only the royal guard would know of the existence of the tunnels. There is no way they will think you would know the tunnels existed. Also, the tunnels will take us right up to the dungeons. We can find Drom and get the answers we need before they know we are there.”
“Lauren, think about it. He has a good point. I will scout out the tunnels and let you know if we have company.”
I considered what Corbin and Tokem said. They both made good points and I nodded my silent agreement. Satisfied, Corbin headed off down the tunnels that lead away from the opening. My staff glowed dimly and I moved silently behind him. Tokem buzzed in and out of sight. We traveled deeper underground in silence, we couldn’t risk detection. After what I assumed was several hours I felt the ground gradually begin to rise. Corbin motioned for us to stop and rest. I drank some water and settled down to wait. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remember was Corbin shaking my shoulder. He motioned for me to sit up and listen. He bent near my ear and whispered it was mid-morning and time to find Drom.
I didn’t need any encouragement. I scrambled to my feet and followed Corbin deeper into the tunnels. We walked on in relative silence. The only sounds were the scrapping of our feet and the occasional sound of dripping water. Just when I was sure we were lost, I noticed the ground under my feet begin to rise ever so slightly. As far as I was concerned, we could not get out of here fast enough to suit me. I nearly ran into Corbin’s back. I hadn’t seen him stop. He motioned for me to be still and he felt around on the wall until he found what he had been looking for. Then the wall in front of slid silently to one side.
We stood staring into a long dimly lit hall. Corbin grabbed my arm and pulled me down the corridor to our right. Just as I turned the corner I saw the door we had come through slide silently closed. Great. Now we trapped in the corridors under The Red Court’s prison. A place we would be likely to see if we were caught. I didn’t need to be prodded twice. I sprinted to keep Corbin in sight. Just when I thought we might get away undetected I heard voices. Corbin stopped and pulled us both tight against the nearest wall. He motioned for me to take the one on the
right. Fortunately, no intervention was necessary. The voices faded as quickly as they came. The vampires had obviously gone down another corridor. I didn’t like playing vampire roulette. It would only be a matter of time before someone decided to come our way. Before I could get Corbin’s attention, Tokem streaked into view and landed on my shoulder. He leaned in to whisper in my ear. I knew Corbin could hear no matter what I just hoped none of the other vampires could.
“I found the cells and Drom is in the last one on the right. There are two guards and several more in the corridor outside.”
Corbin nodded and indicated that he would lead the guards in the corridor off in another direction. That would leave Tokem and me to dispatch the two guards outside the cells. I nodded my consent and then turned to speak to Tokem.
“Tokem, can you distract the guard nearest the cell while I dispose of the other one?”
“It will be my pleasure, after you.”
I crept down closer to the cells. We hadn’t encountered any other vampires and I stopped to listen right before the corridor branched. I could see the two guards off to our right. Before I could motion Tokem forward he flashed by and hit the first vampire in the eye. I sent a blast from my staff into the other vampire’s chest and he burst into flames. I wheeled, finishing off the first vampire before he could cry out. We froze waiting for any indication we had been seen or heard. Nothing. I stepped over the smoldering ruins of the two vampires and went to the cell where Drom was held. He was standing at the cell door. He must have heard the commotion and come to check it out. The keys were on a peg outside his cell. I opened the door and he moved to the back of the cell. We obviously put the fear of fire in him.
“Who are you?” He asked.
“I will ask the questions here and you will answer. Or I will set all the straw in this cell on fire.” To show him I wasn’t kidding I set a small fire in the straw next to his feet. He hopped around trying to put it out.
“I can start them faster than you can put them out,” I hissed.
He turned and faced me. “What do you want?”
“Is your name Drom?”
“Yes.”
“Did you lose a Dragon’s Eye pendent in a poker game?”
“Why do you care?”
“Wrong answer, asshole.” I sent a blast of flames at his head, igniting his hair. He did the best impersonation of ‘drop and roll’ I’ve seen in years.
“Okay, okay. His name was Traygen. He was my prisoner.”
“Where is he now and don’t lie to me.” I sent a few tongues of flame in his direction.
“The Black Court came and got him a couple months ago.”
“Where were they taking him?”
“To their fortress in Lanzer.”
Corbin returned at some point while I was interrogating Drom. As usual I didn’t hear him return, so I jumped when he spoke.
“I know where it is. It is time to leave before we are discovered. Follow me.”
I stunned Drom and he slumped to the ground. He wouldn’t be alerting anyone about our presence. Turning, I followed Corbin down the nearest tunnel. We headed steadily downhill until I could detect a slight breeze against my face. Tokem was somewhere ahead of Corbin looking for a way out and vampires.
Corbin slowed and turned to face me. “We can rest for a few minutes. We can’t light a fire but there is some dried jerky and water in my pack. We will need to travel fast to get out of here undetected.”
“Can you get us to Lanzer? Do you know where the prison is?”
“Yes, and yes, and it won’t be easy. They have to know that we’ve been to every other court by now. You know that if they catch us they will kill us both. There is a price on your head and I’ve been exiled. If I return and am caught I’ll be killed for disgracing my family.”
“Corbin I can’t ask you to do that. If you can get me to the right place, you are free to go. I already owe you my life.”
“I will not leave you there to fend for yourself. You are forgetting that you saved my life. I will see this through. But, we will need to take a new approach. They will be watching the port city waiting for us.”
“What do you suggest?”
The faintest hint of a smile played at Corbin’s lips and I just knew I wasn’t going to like this.
Chapter Seventeen
The nurse found the doctor treating another patient. “The man is awake. Come quickly.”
When they returned to the man’s room he was trying to sit up and the guard was restraining him.
“Let him up, he is too weak to go anywhere.” The doctor ordered and he watched as the man tried to sit-up.
The stranger struggled to sit but he wasn’t strong enough and he fell back against his pillows. The doctor motioned for the nurse to help the man sit up. She moved over to the man and put her arms around his shoulders and guided him to a sitting position. Before he could fall back she pulled his pillows up behind him. He was propped up for the time being. She turned to leave but, the man took her arm. Stunned, she jumped when he touched her. When she whirled around the man was motioning for something.
“Get him some water,” the doctor ordered.
The nurse poured some water into a cup and held it to the man’s lips. He hesitantly sipped some water, choking on a mouthful, before he drained the cup. The simple act of drinking the water tired him and he fell back onto his pillows. Soon the man’s eyes fluttered and closed.
“He is still very weak. I never thought he would make it this far. Let me know when he wakes up again and we will see if we can keep him awake long enough to question him.”
Without further comment the doctor turned and left the man’s room. The nurse returned to her duties while keeping an eye on the man. Where had he come from? They had plucked him from the ocean when he lost consciousness and his body drifted toward the bottom. If the hunters hadn’t been out searching for a school of tuna he would have drowned, making him just another man whose body was claimed by the sea. When the nurse returned to check in on the man he was gone.
She hurried to the front desk to check with the guard. “Have you seen the stranger? He isn’t in his room?”
“No, I was away from my desk getting something to eat. I didn’t think he was strong enough to sit up let alone walk.”
“Well he is missing and we better find him before the doctor finds out he is missing. He isn’t going to like a stranger wondering around unsupervised. You check the floors above us and I’ll check the floor below and the launch area. Don’t just sit there get moving,” she ordered.
The man just stared at her a moment, before he got up and started for the second floor. Who does that bitch thinks she’s talking to anyway. I don’t take orders from her.
The nurse checked all the rooms on the floor before heading down the stairs to the bottom floor and the docks. When she got to the first floor she started searching the rooms. The missing stranger was not in any of the patient rooms. So, she headed for the docks and that’s when she saw him. He was standing in front of the floor to ceiling glass windows looking out on the ocean. He appeared to be in awe of the scene unfolding around him.
“How did you get down here?” She asked.
“What is this? Where am I?” He asked as he turned to face her.
“You are in Nereid, crown city of the Nargon.”
“How did I get here? And who are the Nargon?”
“You’ve been unconscious for over a week. You were found unconscious and near death. We weren’t certain you would live and if you did whether or not you would have suffered brain damage from a lack of oxygen. Do you know your name?
Before he could answer the guard and the doctor hurried toward them.
“Nurse, what is this man doing down here? He was to be watched at all times.”
“I was checking on my other patients and when I got back to his room he was gone.”
“I meant no harm. I haven’t been out of my bed and I wanted to stretch my legs.”
“If you’ll follow me I’ll take you back to your room.” The nurse turned and started down the hall.
The man stared after her retreating form. Then he turned and followed her back to his room. When he returned to his room the nurse was waiting for him. She turned back his bed and helped him get settled.
“You said you found me unconscious. But, we appear to be surrounded by water. Was I found in the ocean?”
“I’ve already said too much. The doctor will be here shortly and you can ask him. If you’ll excuse me, I have other patients to take care of.”
The man waited for the doctor and tried to remember who he was, how he had gotten there. But, it was a blank. He simply had no idea how he had gotten to this place or who he was. One thing he knew for sure was he glimpsed something large in the water. Or had he, it could have been a shadow. Still, he didn’t think so. Before he could ponder it further the door to his room opened and the doctor walked in.
“Let’s check you out and see how you are doing.” The doctor did a thorough evaluation before he spoke again. “Your vitals are good and you do not appear to be suffering any ill effects from your ordeal. Do you remember anything?”