Lost in Time (Blue Bloods 6)

“What do you think?” Sam said testily. “From what Catherine tells me, most human women can only bear one demon birth. many of them die in childbirth, and even when they do survive, they don’t live very long.”

“Especially if the Petruvians kill them,” Dehua said.

“Dehua and Ted will lead the attack and subdue the trolls.

Jack, you and Schuyler will keep watch while Mahrus and I go to the tower and get Deming.” He rolled up the map. “Clear?”

The team nodded and prepared to descend into the underworld.

* * *

It didn’t take long to realize that the map was wrong. They were deep in the castle dungeons when Jack heard Sam curse as he slung the roll under his arm.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, walking up to the Venator.

Jack was already on high alert since he could not dissuade Schuyler from joining the mission. Like Sam, he didn’t want any mistakes this time. The risks were too great.

Sam handed the map to Jack, who unrolled it and squinted at the drawing. It showed the dungeon as a series of broad rings that mimicked the walls of the castle above. Short hallways connected the rings, making it easy to move quickly through any part of it. But the dungeon in which they stood had little to do with that plan. massive stone walls blocked the rings, forcing the team to make a winding path through the stone-lined corridors.

“I don’t like this,” Sam said. “We should have been out of the dungeons by now. All of these little blockades are forcing us deeper into the circle, with no guarantee that we’ll be able to get out.”

“You think this is deliberate? That they planted the wrong map for Catherine to find?” Jack asked.

“I don’t know, but there’s something wrong. The dungeon is empty; no one is in any of these cells.” Suddenly there was a loud noise from somewhere deep underground.

“What was that?” Schuyler asked.

“Stay close,” Jack said. Everyone was nervous now. Sam tried to lead them out of the circle, but they found themselves in front of another massive stone wall.

“We need go back the way we came,” Jack said. “They’re steering us somewhere we don’t want to go.”

“No!” Sam protested. “We’ll find a way through. This is our only chance—” He stopped mid-sentence as he followed Jack’s gaze to the left, where the dark corridor was flooding with trolls.

Their silver eyes and dark skin glowed with unearthly light, their collars glinting. The trolls began to jabber excitedly.

With nowhere to run, the group formed a tight circle as they braced for the trolls’ assault. “They’re nothing but a bunch of dimwits,” Sam muttered. “Nothing to be scared of.”

“There’s only one way out, and it’s through,” Jack said.

He removed his sword and pushed his way to the front of the group. Next to him, the rest of the team did the same, their silver blades shining in the darkness.

The trolls faltered for a moment; silver was the only metal they feared. But they had been trained to fight, and they rushed forward, teeth and claws bared.

“Jack!” Schuyler yelled, as the largest troll flew at him.

“I’ve got him!” Jack said, gritting his teeth. He held out his blade directly as the troll attacked. He bent his knee to drive it upward through the beast’s sternum, using the troll’s own momentum to ram it into the wall.

The group fought as ferociously as the trolls, but for now, neither appeared to gain the upper hand. The Venators were not in their element. They were in unknown territory, and they could soon be overpowered. There were only six of them, but there might be hundreds of trolls.

Jack tried to collect his thoughts. They’d just been ambushed and he needed to take stock, try to find some advantage. The trolls had chosen a broad stretch of the corridor to attack, as it gave their large numbers an upper hand and the ability to come at them from all sides. Jack swiveled around and found a small narrow passageway, a tiny space created by one of the blockades, which was only a few feet behind them.

“Behind that wall!” he called, leading them to the crevice.

Sam shot him a crazed look. “But we’ll be trapped against the blockade!”

“Exactly,” Jack replied. “They’ll be forced to attack us one by one!’ There was no time to argue, and the team followed as Jack pushed backward, and they fought their way into the dead end.

“We’ll take turns,” Mahrus ordered, understanding the strategy. The space was so tight that only two of them could fight at a time. One fought the right side, while another covered the left. They were able to slow down the charge of the trolls, and choreographed every move. When it was their turn, Schuyler and Jack fought as a team. Schuyler would slash below while Jack went in for the kill, his silver blade forcing the trolls to the ground.