Dark Carousel (Dark 26)

Liv! Wake up! Get out of there. Don't touch those horses. He gave the order, pushing command and compulsion into the child's mind.

Still, it was too late. He knew it the moment he saw her enter the workroom. She rushed across the room straight to the cursed horses and chariots. Even as he gave her the commands she was already bending over the nearest horse, the one Charlotte had touched most recently, the one where Vadim's blood had spewed a curse over every man, woman and child who had sat on it.

Liv gripped the horse's neck and swung up into its saddle, her legs clutching the horse's sides. The moment she was in the saddle, the thing rose into the air, coming alive, bucking and snorting, whirling around over the other horses and the chariots. Instantly, the horses sprang to life, the chariots exploding into action.

Donald, get Mary back to the house! Tell Emeline to get under cover and stay there. Tariq had his eyes on the monitor, knowing Fridrick, Vadim's general, had an army waiting outside the gates. He felt them now, a powerful force.

He pushed the red button on the console with his fingertip and instantly a voice came back to him. "Is this a drill?"

"It is not." It took a tremendous effort to use his voice, but he'd practiced for this day. He knew exactly what to do. The small army of human men, men already trained to fight in wars, men he'd trained himself to fight vampires and puppets, as well as other monsters, were on alert and now they'd been activated. Response time was under six minutes.

A series of explosions rocked the gate and walls of the compound, but the safeguards held. Overhead a rocket tried to penetrate from above, but it bounced away and exploded harmlessly. Liv's horse spun around and around, like a madly whirling carousel out of control, the other horses following suit. The chariots joined them. Liv led them through the house, still whirling so that the child had to clutch the horse's neck to stay on its back.

Liv screamed. She clearly had come awake now, but was unable to get off the horse. She tried, struggling wildly, terror on her face. Beside him, Charlotte stirred, her eyes opening, horror already spreading through her.

Liv. Her voice was surprisingly calm. She used the pathway through Tariq's mind to get to the child. Hold on and try to relax. Just hold on. It's moving too fast to try to jump off, honey.

The calm in Charlotte's voice penetrated and Liv stopped screaming and bent over the neck of the horse, her arms and knees tight around the wood as the horse burst out of the house and into the open.

Tariq began to press the green buttons on the panel at his fingertip. There was a bank of them. One was for Danny's bedroom. Others were for Emeline's room, Amelia's, Bella's, Lourdes's, Genevieve's and the Waltons'.

Get in your bedroom, Emeline. It was one of the few times he'd ever used the Carpathian path to Emeline. Blaze and Maksim had ensured she had it so she could communicate with them all, but she despised anyone in her mind, so out of respect, they avoided talking to her telepathically. Emeline turned and ran back inside. He could only hope that she did as instructed.

Donald, get Mary into the bedroom. He could see the older couple running for their house. They'd been told what to expect if the compound came under attack. This was the only way he had of protecting them against humans as well as the monstrous puppets Fridrick, as general of Vadim's army, would send against them.

One of the green buttons activated the lift that sank each room into the ground, making it a sealed panic room that was inaccessible to any outside source. The floor covered the opening so that it was impossible to know the room was underground or that there was a room at all. Josef had thought the idea up and at the time, Tariq thought him a little fanciful, but it was a sound idea and one that would keep the occupants of the compound from harm.

He could see on the monitors as each member of his family was dropped beneath the surface so they were safe underground and impossible to detect. The rooms were sealed with good airflow and amenities, even a bathroom, just in case the stay was longer than expected.

Danny and the girls could move from room to room; they were all connected once below the surface. At the moment, they were still peacefully sleeping and unaware. Genevieve's and Lourdes's rooms connected. Like the other children, they slept, the push Tariq had given them still holding. Donald and Mary were on their own. He saw that they were safe beneath the ground, but he couldn't see Emeline. He hadn't put cameras in her home. She'd insisted she wouldn't stay if he did. He could only hope she'd obeyed the order and that she was afraid enough of Vadim that she didn't hesitate.

His gaze went back to Liv. Charlotte's gaze had never left her. The child was calmer because both Tariq and Charlotte were in her mind, anchoring her, soothing her and more importantly, keeping Vadim and his commands at bay. There was nothing to be done about the wildly spinning horses. Already, Tariq could feel the buildup of energy as the horses and chariots spun madly.

The horses were now in the center of the compound and had formed a complete carousel, they and the chariots acting as if they were suspended from chains and whirling faster and faster so that Liv's steed was forced outward by the centrifugal force. All around them the explosions kept coming, bouncing off the safeguards so that none penetrated the fortress Tariq had created.

Liv clung to the horse as it swung out so fast and hard that it appeared to be on its side as it whirled madly. In the middle of the carousel, a dark force began to rise, a cloud, spinning just as fast. In the center and flashing through the darkness were streaks of fire, of lightning.

Tariq swore. Vadim always prepared for everything. He overprepared. It was a characteristic his brothers had often given him a bad time about, but now that preparation served him well.

What is it? Charlotte sounded scared.

There was no way to save Liv. She couldn't get off the horse, and Tariq knew an explosion was coming, one that would blow right through the safeguards from the inside and allow Fridrick's army of puppets and humans entry. The others would be safe, but Liv . . .

No. Beside him, Charlotte tried to struggle. To move. When she couldn't she stared in horror at the screen, her gaze glued there in spite of the bloodred tears tracking down her face. Tariq. She whispered his name in his mind. An intimate connection. A plea. Tariq wanted to reassure her, but he couldn't.

The cloud rose, whirling as fast as the horses. And then a figure came running across the yard, onto the screen where Tariq could see. Emeline. She wasn't safe belowground; she was leaping, timing her leap exactly, putting her life on the line to catch Liv around the waist and yank her from the spinning horse. The force of the wooden animal sent them flying through the air. Emeline tucked Liv into her and tried to land in a protective ball. She hit the ground hard. Too hard. Emeline rolled like a rag doll, her arms outstretched, clearly unconscious. Liv rolled as well, not as far as Emeline, but she'd hit the ground hard enough to stun her.

They're alive. He breathed the knowledge into Charlotte's mind. Relief was tremendous, but he knew what was coming. His fingers inched their way to find Charlotte's hand so he could thread them together with hers. Beloved, this will not be good. Take a breath.

The explosion rocked the compound. It put deep cracks in the ground and several walls in the houses cracked. A tree groaned and then slowly toppled over. The chariots and horses went flying. One landed in a tree. One in the middle of the dragons. Another in the playground. Splinters of wood became arrows and spears, knifing through the air, looking for a target.

Stay on the ground, Liv, Tariq ordered the child.

She moved, a writhing of pain, but her hands had gone flat to the shaking ground to push herself up. At Tariq's command she hesitated and looked cautiously around. Emeline was absolutely still and he could see a thin trail of blood seeping out from under where her head was. Her hair was a fan around her, thick and dark, so dark it appeared almost blue. Thin red streaks matted the strands and soaked into the ground. Charlotte's fingers tightened around his as Fridrick's army poured into the compound.

The

humans tossed pipe bombs at the houses. Several threw grenades. Tariq recognized some of the human men who had been in the tunnel when Charlotte had accessed the memories from when Liv had been thrown to the puppet. Puppets swarmed the compound. Liv let out a small shriek and began to cry.

Stay quiet, baby, Charlotte advised. Her eyes frantically searched the screens. Smoke was filling the air, making it difficult to see everything.

Without warning, the blue dragon in the play yard stood on his back legs, spread his wings, and fanned them so that the smoke was driven back. Charlotte caught a glimpse of a series of small boulders artfully placed in the garden. They were only a few feet from Liv.

Can you make it to those boulders, honey? Look to your left and behind you. There's just enough room for you to slip between them.

If you stay low, Liv, I can shield you, Tariq added.

Sobbing, crawling on her hands and knees, Liv hurried across the few feet to the edge of the garden where the boulders were. She squeezed between two of them and went to her tummy, pulling her knees under her in an attempt to imitate the rocks around her.

Tariq instantly began to weave a shell of protection over her. It wouldn't help if she moved, but as long as she stayed there, it was a cloak of invisibility the attackers couldn't penetrate. His security force would be arriving any minute and then chaos would really reign.

Emme hasn't moved. Charlotte filled his mind with worry.

There was nothing he could do for Emeline. She lay to the right of the play yard, her body on its side, arms flung out, blood a halo around her head. She'd saved Liv's life. Liv wouldn't have survived the explosion, but there was no telling what price Emeline paid for her courage.

Time and again explosions hit the houses, as the men and puppets marched through the compound, determined to destroy everything. Tariq held the safeguards around the homes, keeping them intact. His last option was to bring water from the lake onto land. He had created a bowl effect that would allow him to flood the entire acreage, sweeping Fridrick's soldiers away, but with Liv and Emeline in harm's way, he couldn't do that.

The blue dragon took to the air with a battle cry, a roar that rent the air. Behind him the other dragons took to the sky, wings beating hard enough to clear the smoke as they circled above the men firing weapons at them. One man put a rocket launcher to his shoulder and took aim at the green dragon. The blond human beside him seemed to stumble right into him, knocking him off-balance, catching Tariq's attention. The rocket went off far to the left of the dragons. The man with the rocket launcher immediately shoved the blond human who had stumbled into him. The clumsy man lifted his hands and shrugged his shoulders as if to say he was sorry, it wasn't his fault.

Tariq took note of him. He was one of the men who had shaken his head and frowned when Vadim had thrown Liv to the puppet. He had studiously avoided looking at the master vampire, but had exchanged a long look with a dark-haired man in the group. Tariq tried to spot the other man in the crowd of soldiers. Most had their attention on the dragons circling above their heads. Not one of the dark-haired men, and not Mr. Clumsy. The two broke off from the group and hurried around the puppets toward the replica of the larger mansion--Emeline's house.

He lost sight of them as several larger men, looking less human and more puppet, took up the screen the two human men had been on. Clearly they were on a separate mission from the others. Tariq realized the soldiers were wreaking as much havoc as possible in the compound, trying to blow everything up and create a diversion. These men were the ones on the real mission. Two broke off and came toward the main house. Two went toward Emeline's house, and the last two toward the house where the children stayed.

They're after the women. Emeline. Amelia and maybe Liv. Genevieve and you, Charlotte. All of this is to get the women. The rest of it is for show to throw us off, Tariq told her.

You can't let them get to them.

They can't get to them. Only Liv and Emeline are still in harm's way. So far, no one has spotted Emeline lying so still. They aren't expecting her out in the open like that. There's smoke and chaos. But they'd find her. He knew they would. It was only a matter of time.

The dragons are attacking. He heard the worry in her voice. She was afraid they could burn Emeline or Liv in their scorching fire.

Don't move, Liv. Stay very still, even if they get close to you. The child shuddered and wept silently, her fist jammed in her mouth. Tariq knew it had to be terrifying to see and hear the beasts that had torn into her flesh and tried to eat her alive.

Just as the dragons dove down, mouths yawning wide, fire pouring from them to sweep over the puppets and men in the compound, Tariq's team of soldiers arrived. They were a small group, but elite, and they carried the right equipment to combat the macabre puppets. Tariq touched the dragons, impressing on them not to harm his security force or Emeline and Liv.

Fridrick's soldiers were forced to defend themselves, caught between the dragons and the newcomers. The puppets had been programmed by their master and they would fight to the death and beyond if possible in order to carry out their orders. The human males stood and fought as well, something that surprised Tariq when he was rarely surprised by anything. That told him that either they each carried a splinter of Vadim, or they were programed through blood. Or both. In any case, it was a hard-fought battle between the two forces.

Tariq trusted his small but very skilled unit of soldiers, so he turned his attention to the six giants. The first two had reached the children's house. They didn't bother to try the doorknob; they simply hit the door hard simultaneously. Sparks flew around their fists and both men jumped back, howling. Two fist marks were burned into the wood. Cursing, they kicked at the door over and over, but all they did was burn the soles of their boots. Finally, one dropped his hand to the doorknob and twisted. The door opened for them because Liv had left it unlocked. The two men rushed inside only to find the building empty. They knocked over furniture, angry that they'd missed their prey.

At the same time, two men rushed into Emeline's home and the other two into Tariq's home. They found the buildings empty, too. Furious, they rushed outside. The six men converged in the center of the compound. One turned his head and frowned. Every muscle in Tariq's body froze as he followed the man's gaze straight to Emeline lying so still on the ground.

Tariq sent his command to the dragons and instantly they pulled up and flew away from the heavy fighting in an attempt to intercept the six men. Fire rained down. One of the six giants rolled away from the others as five of them took the brunt of the dragon attack. Two caught on fire. One fell to the ground, rolling to try to put the flames out, while the other ran for the lake. Gunfire broke out and two of the giants went down, thrashing, wounded, but not dead. The fifth man tried to follow his partner, but was cut down when Matt, the head of Tariq's security force, shot him point-blank in the heart.

Tariq turned his attention to the last giant, the one now crouching beside Emeline. He grabbed her hair in his fist and lifted her head. Clearly she was still out. There was blood on the side of her face and on the rock lying on the ground beside her. She'd hit hard enough that it was a huge concern, but now she was in the hands of Vadim's half human-half puppet.

As he rose, dragging her up with him, the two human males who had rushed to Emeline's house ran around the porch toward him. At the same time, Liv leapt up, screaming at the giant of a man, determined that he wouldn't take Emeline.

"No! You can't have her. I won't let you." She shrieked at the man as she got to him, punching and kicking his leg.

The two male psychics Vadim had recruited separated, one yanking at Emeline, dragging her out of the giant's arms while the other attacked. Snarling, the giant slammed his fist into the blond man's forehead. The blond man fell over backward as if he'd been hit with a sledgehammer.

Tariq's soldiers were converging and the dragons circled above them, readying for a pass at the giant. The blond man's partner stumbled away from the huge,

monstrous half puppet, Emeline in his arms. Snarling, the giant reached down, snatched up Liv and turned and ran toward the gates, calling out as he did so. Immediately what was left of Fridrick's soldiers closed ranks behind him, racing after him, holding off Tariq's men so the giant could escape with his prize.

Charlotte screamed soundlessly, over and over, struggling to move, to overcome the terrible paralysis of the Carpathian people. Not again. He can't have her again, Tariq.

Be calm, sielamet. He won't kill her. He'll use her as a bargaining chip to get Emeline, Genevieve and you. We will be able to retrieve her this rising. Every hunter is well aware of what has happened and they will go with us to take her back.

But she'll never recover. The trauma. She wasn't safe. Even here, she wasn't safe. She'll always know she wasn't and she'll never feel safe again.

We will do our best with her, Charlotte. It is all we can do. Allow me to send you to sleep again. There is no point in lying here unable to move with your mind in chaos and your heart in agony. He would send her to sleep no matter what. He couldn't stand Charlotte suffering. With her mind so open to him now, she never thought to raise the barrier to protect herself even though it was so automatic with everyone else.

She took a breath and looked at him, tear tracks little red streaks down her face. She nodded and instantly he sent her back to sleep and then turned to direct his small band of men to cleaning up and seeing to Emeline. He wanted the two men who had aided Emeline held until he could examine them and find out what they knew and why they had changed sides.

18

Liv is still terrified, Val whispered to Tariq on the common path two hours before sunset. I have promised her we will come for her, but the puppets are deliberately taunting her. I fear she will try to force them to kill her.

Tariq and Val had taken turns staying in her mind, a task that had been daunting when both were so weak. The giant of a man Fridrick had put in charge of the attack on Tariq's home seemed to be the one who had taken Liv. He protected her from being torn apart and eaten alive by the insane puppets, but he didn't stop them from scaring the child; in fact he seemed to take great amusement in her fear. Throughout the day, he'd mocked, sneered and assured the puppets in front of her that Fridrick would give the girl to them to eat.