Dark Lycan (Dark 24)

Fen touched Tatijana's mind. She didn't know. Didn't realize. The dragon had flown high into the misty clouds surrounding the upper part of the mountain. The dread was there, a feeling of revulsion, the need to leave. Tatijana had spent her life deep under this very mountain, in the ice caves of her father, Xavier, the high mage. She had never seen the outside of the mountain, only the inside. The mage spells were still intact and working to keep every species away from Xavier's laboratories.

He signaled to her to take her dragon to the ground. Dimitri, you know what this place is, right? The ice caves where she was held are below.

I knew that, but how did you know?

In the old days, Xavier was considered a friend to the Carpathian people. We all studied with him. That was how we first began weaving safeguards. I studied with him for years. No one had any inkling he was plotting against us, Fen explained.

I'm only a century behind you. I studied with him as well, Dimitri said. It was shortly after that he kidnapped Rhiannon of the Dragonseekers and killed her lifemate. Of course we didn't know Xavier had committed such treachery for some time.

Dimitri settled his dragon beside Tatijana's and Fen leapt off, landing in a crouch.

I cannot imagine Abel choosing to set up a lair in the caves of Xavier.

What of Bardolf. Although . . . do you think Bardolf would have been affected by the warning emanating from the mist? He would have no idea just how dangerous that entire labyrinth of caves really is.

Dimitri shifted into his own form as did Tatijana. Fen went to her immediately and put his arm around her. He leaned in to brush a kiss over the top of her head.

"Did you feel it?" she asked.

"Tatijana, there is every possibility that Bardolf might have chosen those caves to retreat into. Look at the mountain. Really look at it. Those caves were your prison for centuries." He held her while he delivered the blow, his mind firmly in hers.

For a moment she rejected the idea, her mind trying to protect her from the memories of the torture and death of so many she'd been forced to watch.

"Breathe, sivamet," he encouraged. "We're here with you. Xavier is long gone from this world and can't hurt you. You don't have to go in with us to check. You can monitor us from right here."

Tatijana had heard the screams of the dying, felt the weight of the dead-so many; Xavier had never discriminated between species. The only things that mattered to him were immortality and power. He thought himself above every other species and he wanted to rule. He wanted for himself the gifts each had and would stop at nothing to get them.

She had been forced to feed her blood to Xavier for centuries. When she and Branislava grew too strong and even keeping them anemic didn't help, Xavier kept them encased in ice in the form of dragons. They were his laboratory wall decorations, forcing them to watch every heinous crime he committed against humanity, Carpathians and every other species. They were helpless to stop him.

He had possessed the body of his grandson and violated women, impregnating them in order for him to find new sources of Carpathian blood. If the child was deemed unsuitable, as in Skyler's case, he sold them into a life of misery or simply abandoned them. He kept his grandson prisoner as well, torturing him with the foul things Xavier used his body for.

Tatijana could hear her own silent screaming and abruptly stopped, knowing her distress would pull Branislava to her. She had to gain control. Fen was right. She was safe-but he and Dimitri wouldn't be if they went into those caves. Xavier might be gone, but his traps and evil spells remained behind. She knew every mage spell ever conceived by him, as did Branislava, as well as where most of the traps were in areas visible to where she'd been held, but Fen and Dimitri wouldn't know.

She lifted her chin. "I'll go."

Fen slipped his hand down her arm until his fingers tangled with hers. "Perhaps you could fly your dragon for us and keep guard, just while we explore the outer caves for signs of Bardolf. If he's not there, there's no need for any of us to enter what was Xavier's domain."

She didn't know if it was being cowardly, but, relieved, she took that way out. "That makes sense. But, if you think he may have gone in, give me your word that you will call to me right away. There can be no untruth between lifemates. I need to face this with you, if Bardolf has gone in. With you and Dimitri, I know I can. If you leave me out and something happens to either of you, I would for all time feel as if I caused it through my cowardice."

"You have my word, my lady. The moment I suspect, you will know."

She put her arms around his neck and leaned into him, needing to feel how solid and strong he was. "I know both of you are worried about what the change in your blood will do to a woman and our future children, but in this moment, I'm grateful both of you have the mixed blood. And Dimitri"-she turned in Fen's arms to look directly into Dimitri's eyes-"I guarantee you, Skyler would feel exactly the same way."

Dimitri nodded. "I'm certain of it. Let's do this, Fen."

His form shimmered and he took to the sky streaking for the mist that veiled the top of the mountain.

Fen sighed. "You be careful, Tatijana. Don't think because you're in dragon form that you're safe from him. If Bardolf is here and he realizes you're out there circling around, looking for his trail, he could attack you."

"You do your job, I'll do mine. Believe me, even the outside of Xavier's mountain will have a few traps," she cautioned. "Try not to trigger any of them."

He leaned down and kissed her upturned lips, shifting as he pulled back.

He followed his brother up the steep, snow-topped mountain and into the veil of mist. The mountains looked peaceful, ringed as they were with the swirling, dense fog, but the upper peaks were inhospitable. Very little plant life managed to grow amid the boulders and rocks, just a few scraggly flowers and grasses. Above the boulders was the glacier itself.

The locals knew to avoid the peaks, and the few travelers ignoring the mountain's warnings often were victims of falling rocks or avalanches. The mountain trembled and rumbled continually when anyone set foot on those upper peaks hidden within the white veil of mist.

Fen felt the energy concealed inside the bank of fog itself. No wind ever disturbed it or blew it away. The swirling veil acted like a force field of sorts that made anyone approaching the peaks uneasy. Things moved subtly in the dense fog. Shapes. Nothing substantial, but Fen could make out various threats. Voices echoed those threats, warning any and all to stay away.

Fen had seen such things many times in his travels. Xavier had been the father of all safeguards and this one was classic. It was meant for any species exploring the mountain. The first layer would simply make anyone coming close uneasy. Most turned back right there. If that didn't succeed and an explorer kept coming, actually walking around the entrances to the maze of caves, voices would begin to be heard, warnings, and if that failed, traps would be sprung.

"Anything?" he asked Dimitri.

Neither set foot on the mountain, but rather floated along its side to study the ground for tracks, for anything at all that might tell them Bardolf had come this way.

"Maybe. It's small, but he was Lycan. He has skills. Take a look over here." Dimitri indicated a rock that was smashed with others piled high around it. "This entrance was closed by our people a short while back, but in closing this, the area next to it was pushed up. See right there where those small flowers are growing."

Dimitri moved closer, almost crouching as he peered down. Fen moved up beside him to see the struggling flowers growing in the cracks of the rocks scattered all over the ground. He spotted the small telltale sign Dimitri had. One tiny flower and a leaf had been crushed by something heavy as it passed.

"Pretty slim," Fen said.

"Very," Dimitri agreed.

They both looked at the pushed-up rocks, which could have been used to form a cave.

"He's in there," Fen said.

"I'm certain of it," Dimitri agreed. "Let's go get him."

Tatijana, we think he's made himself a cave up here, off to the side of the entrance to Xavier's cave. We're going to check it out.

I'll join you.

She didn't hesitate. Clearly she'd made up her mind that she could face her prison.

"She's a strong woman," Dimitri said.

"She's Dragonseeker. I expect nothing less of her," Fen admitted.

He took the lead, keeping his feet from touching the mountain, careful not to brush up against a boulder. When they got to the newly formed cave's entrance, he shifted to mist. In that form he could move through the air without fear of triggering any trap.

The entrance had been artificially widened, but not by much. Bardolf could shift just as any Carpathian could, but clearly he preferred his wolf or human form. He found a lair and he'd covered the entrance just enough that if anyone got through the veil of mist, they might not notice his cave. The rocks scattered around on the ground helped to camouflage the cave.

Fen slipped into the cave itself. It was dark and much colder than any wolf would like. He knew the moment he entered that Bardolf had been there. His scent was everywhere. The small space reeked of him.

Fen went all the way to the back of the cave-and it was small. It seemed to dead-end. That didn't feel right to Fen. No self-respecting Lycan would ever get caught with no way out.

He's here somewhere. I know he is. Fen felt him. As if they were connected. Maybe by the blood, or the battles, but he felt him-and Bardolf was close by.

He has to have an escape route, Dimitri said. We'll find it.

The three of them inspected every inch of the cave walls and ceiling. It was Fen who found that incongruous little crack that ran from the floor midway through the cave up about knee-high. He came back to it twice, drawn not by the crack itself, but the feel of it.

It's here. But this wall is the outside wall to Xavier's cave, he cautioned.

If he found Xavier's caves, Dimitri said, he won't be able to resist exploring. He's a wolf, and if he sees any weapons, he'll definitely try to figure out how to use them.

He'll trigger traps in there if he hasn't already, Tatijana said.

Fen had no choice but to shift enough to allow his hand to run over the crack. His acute senses told him there was a way to trigger the opening, but how? He moved his palm slowly up and down. It would have to be fast, no safeguard to keep anyone out on this side. Bardolf would want to come and go without trouble.

Tatijana leaned over him and studied the entrance. This opens to the tone of his voice. Can you re-create the sound? You've both heard him. Just say "open," but only if you can get his exact pitch.

You're good at pitch, Fen, Dimitri encouraged. And you knew him before he turned wolf/vampire.

Fen pulled up the memory of Bardolf's voice, listened intently and then tried. "Open."

The crack obeyed, separating without a sound. Of course Bardolf would need his escape hatch to be completely silent. Icy cold air blew into the cave, swamping them with a bitter chill. Fen went through first. They didn't need the light as all of them were able to see in dark, but Bardolf had used torches to light the way.

They were in a passageway rather than an actual chamber. It was narrow and curved, and led only one direction as the entrance had been closed. Fen moved downward quickly, flowing as a stream of vapor. Bardolf had begun his exploration of Xavier's cave. Whatever traps lay in wait that he might trigger might catch the hunters as well.

The actual floor had broken away in several places, making it impossible for anyone who couldn't travel as they were to proceed. The narrow tunnel gave way to a chamber where originally there had been a large hole where one could descend to the ice city below. The chambers and caves sprawled for miles, and Xavier held rule over the entire underground lair. A great chunk of ice had pushed through that hole, making descent impossible.

Bardolf went this way, Fen said following the scent of the wolf.

There were no real tracks; Bardolf was, like them, streaming through as vapor, but he couldn't hide his stench after so many clashes between them. Fen led the others to a far wall where a large lava tube rose up from below.

He went down there.

There are guardians. Hideous creatures, Tatijana warned. He mutated vampire bats. They're larger and prey on deer and other victims. He fed them humans and even mages who had displeased him. They live in the walls of the lava tubes and anything disturbing them will be attacked immediately. As you descend they'll drop on top of you and begin eating you alive.

Great. Fen looked down the tube. It was pitch-black and he couldn't see a thing, nor did he really want to. How did Bardolf go down unscathed?

Maybe they're all dead, Dimitri suggested. I heard when they left these caves they tried to burn them out, isn't that right, Tatijana?

There is no way a single pair didn't make it through that holocaust. They've been breeding again. I feel them. When you live so close to that kind of danger, you know the feel of it and your body reacts. Mine, right now, is shuddering with fear.

Fen immediately poured warmth and strength into her mind. He didn't dare assume his body to hold her, but he wrapped his arms around her telepathically and let her lean on him for a moment of support. When he could feel she had steadied herself, he turned to the lava tube.

Lighting the tube to see what we're facing might awaken the creatures, he decided. I think Bardolf just flowed down without knowing they were there. He didn't trigger their feeding frenzy or we'd smell blood.

He took another cautious sniff, just to be safe. Tatijana was right. He smelled the odor of rotting meat. Something had been torn apart and feasted on down in that hole. Still, Bardolf had gone that way.

I'll lead. If I go down safe, Tatijana, you follow next. I can protect from below and Dimitri can protect you from above. Don't touch the walls, even with a single molecule. We don't know enough about these creatures and the danger they represent to us.

He sent another wave of reassurance to Tatijana. Going deeper into this maze of ice caves had to be her worst nightmare. Merged as he was with her, he felt the absolute determination that overrode the fear bordering on terror.

If it's possible to fall in love with you more, my lady, I am.

He didn't wait for a reply but turned and streamed into the lava tube, dropping straight down, moving slow enough that he wouldn't disturb the air. It was wretched inside the tube. He used the vision of his mixed blood to try to see what was inside. There were honeycombs in the walls, round holes that were stained with blood, fur and a few feathers. He was certain the mutated bat creatures lived in those holes.

I think I'm just past the halfway point. Tatijana, start down, but don't make the mistake of going fast. You want to keep from disturbing the air so anything living in these walls just stays there. Dimitri will be right behind you.

They didn't have bodies for the creatures to leap upon, but he wasn't taking chances, not with his lifemate or his brother. He continued to drop, fighting off the need for speed. It was necessary to keep his sense of smell from being so acute. The farther down he got, the worse the stench was. He wasn't particularly happy about that aspect as so far, he hadn't spied an opening from the tube to the cavern floor. If the bottom was closed off and the creatures ate their prey inside the tube, where did that leave them? He should have gone all the way down before calling to the others.

His superior vision was what saved them. The hole in the side where the tube had crumbled away had to be the entrance to the chamber. He drifted through and immediately the sounds of ice creaking could be heard. Now and then there was a tremendous roar as a great chunk shot out, driven from the ice wall from the tremendous pressure. The chunk hit the opposite wall and dropped to the floor below.

In the distance, from the opposite side of the chamber, near a door, a torch had been lit and soft light spilled into the cavernous room, turning the ice a deep blue. It was beautiful. He had forgotten that Xavier's school had also been a place of beauty with ice sculptures, fountains and intriguing formations.

You're coming up on the entrance now, Tatijana, he said, guiding her through.

He waited until his brother followed and then he set out after Bardolf. He moved much more quickly now that they had actual chambers large enough that they didn't have to worry about touching the walls or floors. He followed the trail of torches Bardolf had so conveniently lit . . .

Conveniently lit, Fen repeated for the others. He knows we're following him.

How? Tatijana asked. We haven't made any mistakes.

No, that was true, but they were dealing with a Sange rau. Bardolf couldn't feel energy from Dimitri or Fen, but he could from a Carpathian. As sensitive as a mixed blood was, Bardolf had felt Tatijana's energy, perhaps even when they had returned and she was in dragon form.

Me. I've endangered you.

That's what he thinks, Fen agreed, but you're our ace in the hole. You might despise the fact that you were here for centuries, but that's what's going to save us all, Tatijana. He doesn't know mage spells or any of the dangers here like you do. We don't know them either. He'll come at us, but it's you that's going to bring him down.

Fen could feel her turning what he'd said over and over in her mind. If she wanted to go back, he would have Dimitri . . .

No. No way am I deserting you. Her voice turned strong. You're right. I do know these caves. I do know spells. Bardolf was Lycan and he never studied at Xavier's school. I can trap him even if he doesn't trigger one of the older snares left behind by Xavier.

Let's do this then, Dimitri said into their minds.

It was Dimitri's mantra-get it done no matter how repulsive the task. Fen proceeded, allowing his senses to flare out to explore every aspect of the chamber as they moved through it toward the torch. Dimitri, he knew, was doing the same. Tatijana looked for any hidden tricks the high mage may have left behind.

They got through the chamber to the entrance itself. Fen studied that carefully before he streamed through. He nearly ran straight into webs of fire spiders. The thin threads glowed with flames. They were woven tight, layer upon layer, so had he even in his present form touched a strand, he wouldn't be able to get loose.

He's using fire spiders.

Fen felt Tatijana's instant rejection of his assessment. Fire spiders would never allow themselves to be used by Bardolf against a Dragonseeker.

How would they know who follows him? Dimitri asked with a little smirk in his voice.

The insects in this cave know everything. They aren't mere insects. Each species was mutated to some degree. The fire spiders, in fact most species of spiders, were our allies.

Fen had to believe her. How did Bardolf get through? He studied the glowing web. Bardolf had led them to the fire spiders in the hope that they would be trapped.

He couldn't have, Tatijana answered. He couldn't have gotten past that web. It's too big and thick. The spiders have been here for years, spinning that web. There are no tears in it and they couldn't have repaired a tear this fast. He didn't go through this entrance.

I smell him.

Then he went through it, stopped and came back. He had some time to explore this cave. This can't be the first time he's been in it. He probably found his lair the first night he was here, she insisted. I'm right about this, Fen. I am. If there's one thing I do know, it's fire spiders.

I believe you. We need to figure out where he went.

There were two other ways to leave the cave, each leading into another, larger cavern. One way dropped lower, leading to another level. The floor of the last entrance seemed even with the chamber they were in. Fen wasn't especially keen on exploring the maze of caves beneath them. The lower they went, the more likely it was that they would run into Xavier's safeguards.

The moment he neared the entrance to the next chamber, warnings rippled through him, yet he couldn't see any obvious trap-it just felt wrong to him. He approached cautiously.

I've got multiple warning signals going off all over the place, Fen, Dimitri said.

Me, too, Tatijana added. Maybe we should try door number three instead.

Fen waited a moment, thinking it through. Bardolf didn't have a lot of time to prepare for an attack. He had to have noticed Tatijana's dragon and had exited his cave into the ice caves for safety. The other alternative would have given him even less time to prepare-if he felt her energy as she'd joined the two hunters at the entrance to his cave.

Wait a minute. He went this way. He's trying to herd us that way. He didn't have enough time to set up many traps. He's using what he knows is already here.

Fen didn't wait for the others to agree; he knew Bardolf was close. Misdirection was an easy escape if the Sange rau could make it happen. Bardolf didn't want to fight them. He would if he was cornered, but if he could escape them, that would be his first choice. He was running.

He streamed through the arched opening into the next, cathedral-ceilinged chamber. The walls were covered in ice balls, great glops clinging to the sheets of ice, looking for all the world as if someone had thrown huge popcorn all over the walls to decorate them. Hanging from the ceiling were enormous icicles.

Good God, Fen, Dimitri hissed. This is a massacre waiting to happen.

Tatijana, don't come through to this chamber yet, Fen cautioned. If he's using your energy to track us, I don't want him to know we chose this way. Let me see what I can find before you enter.

But, little sister-kin, Dimitri cautioned, don't go exploring. Stay right by the entrance where we can see you.

Now I have two of you worried about me. I'm perfectly fine right here. I'm really not all that fragile.

She felt fragile to Fen, but he wasn't a stupid man and he didn't say that to her. He wanted to take her out of there and just hold her tight, but there was no turning back. He kept close to the walls of the room, moving slowly to keep from disturbing the air. He matched the temperature of his molecules to the chamber's so that even that couldn't give him away.

He's here, he cautioned Dimitri. In this room. Hiding. Tatijana, move back a little more from the entrance. If he felt you there, he would think you were retreating toward the other chamber.

He's got a lot of weapons in here, Dimitri reminded, but so do we.

Tatijana moved away from the door and they lost sight of her. Both stilled, waiting. Patience was needed in the hunt. No one moved. Time passed. Water dripped and the continuous creaking of the ice became a strange music. More drops ran down the west-facing wall. Small. Like tiny beads of sweat. Hardly noticeable. Both hunters noticed.

The droplets rolled halfway down the sheet of ice before they froze there. Still, the hunters didn't take the bait. They waited in absolute stillness. Again time passed. The creaking of the ice gave way to a thunderous roar from a chamber quite close as the pressure pushed a giant-sized chunk out of a wall and flung it hard into the room. The chunk crashed to the floor with a resounding boom, shaking several adjoining caves.

With the strength of the vibrations, a few of the round balls clinging to the walls close to Fen broke free and fell to the floor, crashing and splintering into fragments like glass. A soft chuckle added to the music of the ice.

He believes we fell for his ruse and went to the next chamber, Fen said. He's going to be fast, Dimitri, he's fighting for his life and a cornered wolf is a very dangerous one.

His brother knew as much about wolves as he did, but still, he worried. He wasn't about to get Dimitri killed, and his younger brother always was patient about Fen giving him advice. He was quiet, often shaking his head, but he never seemed offended.

Both hunters focused on the corner, up by the ceiling where the drips had originated.

Don't reveal yourself to him, even if it looks as if I've staked him. He won't know you're close by and we'll get that second chance at him, Fen instructed. Tatijana, if he slips through, conceal yourself, don't try to take him on alone.

I would never consider taking him on alone.

She had that little snippy voice that told him she might be up to something, but he had to trust her word and know she would put her safety first.

The ice at the corner of the wall began to ripple as if it was coming alive. More water dripped and then ran down the side of the wall in a little stream. Bardolf didn't bother to keep his body temperature the same as the chamber. He preferred his comfort, and ice caves weren't for wolves.

Fen had never tried to kill a Sange rau without its body. He didn't even know if it could be done. At best, he might be able to force Bardolf into another form, giving Dimitri the chance to kill him. Nevertheless, he planned to try. He began drifting up toward the corner of the ceiling, keeping his movements slow, so there was no chance of his disturbing the air.

Bardolf was pleased with himself. He continued to chuckle out loud as he slowly removed his shelter. He had surrounded himself with a thick sheet of ice, blending it seamlessly into the wall, so it was impossible to detect. He just hadn't been able to force himself to be as cold as he needed to keep the ice from melting.

Fen remembered when he'd first come upon Bardolf's pack so long ago, when the Lycan had been the alpha. Even then he liked his comforts. His mate served him first and would massage his feet and back for him no matter how tired she was or what she'd done that day. He liked a hot fire waiting in his house and if it wasn't lit, there was hell to pay.

The ice in the corner shimmered. Slowly, Bardolf emerged. He had chosen to stream through the ice cave in the form of vapor as well, but because he needed warmth, steam rose around him, giving Fen a target to lock onto. As Bardolf moved forward, Fen attacked, shifting at the last possible second, a silver stake in his fist. He plunged it into the center of the mist, hoping to hit the heart, but knowing it would be nearly impossible. As he pushed the silver stake into the vapor, he melted all but the point so that the silver spread fast, coating every molecule.

Bardolf screamed in agony as the silver invaded his body, working its way through him. He shifted immediately, hands grabbing at the melting stake, trying to pull it from his body, even as he directed the icicles above their heads to fly at Fen.

Icicles rained down, sharp missiles seeking targets, hundreds of them, so that the chamber was filled with the sounds of cracking ice as they broke away from the ceiling to hurtle toward Fen. He threw up a shield around his body, but that split second it took to do so allowed Bardolf to shoot away from him, across the room, racing toward the arched doorway he had come through earlier.

Dimitri waited in absolute stillness, positioning himself directly in front of that door, Bardolf's only way to escape. The Sange rau ran straight into a silver stake, impaling himself on it. Bardolf had been moving fast and with Dimitri's enormous strength, the stake went deep, piercing the heart, but not going through.

Bardolf wrenched himself away at the last moment, just enough to keep the stake from penetrating through his heart. Cursing, blood pouring from his wound to drip on the floor of ice, he used both hands to pull the stake from his body and slam it hard into Dimitri's shoulder, to drive him back.

Fen streaked across the room while the hail of icicles followed him, heat-seeking drones locked on to him specifically. Bardolf was already on the run, racing through the door to the next chamber. He uttered a cry of alarm, but then slammed a block of ice into the entrance, trapping Fen and Dimitri on the other side.

Tatijana, get out of there. Don't reveal yourself to him.

Tatijana watched Bardolf burst through the door. She was not alone. Branislava had felt her rising distress upon entering the ice caves and she had come, as she always had.

Spiders, spiders of firespun ice, hear my call, spin and splice. Create a web of finest thread to protect your sisters from harm or dread.

Thousands of tiny spiders raced down the wall, slipping out of cracks and crevices, coming up from the floor and down from the ceiling, weaving and spinning fine webs of silken orange-red flames. There were so many of them, coming from every direction that the density and sheer size of the web was astounding.

Neither Tatijana nor Branislava moved, remaining directly behind the fiery protection, facing the wounded Sange rau without flinching.

Blood poured from his chest, and he roared with fury, the sound reverberating through the ice chamber. Great cracks appeared in the walls, crackling and groaning. Bardolf shifted, his muzzle elongating, making room for his teeth. His eyes went red and fur sprang around his upper body and arms. Huge sharp claws burst from his hands. He stood tall on two legs staring at the two women with hatred and malevolence.

"Take it down and I will spare your lives," he bargained, his voice mostly growls. Saliva dripped from his muzzle in long strings.

Tatijana smiled serenely. "We are Dragonseeker, and we have faced a monster far worse than you. You will not pass."

Both women lifted their hands and began to weave a pattern in the air.

Air, Earth, Fire and Water, hear my call. See your daughters . . .

The force of the elements coming together, spinning into a tight woven power, sent energy crackling through the room. The air itself grew heavy with the intensity of the combination.

Air unseen, seek that which is closed. Earth that does hold open, unfold. Fire that burns, eat that which would harm, water that flows, break open this door.

Air whistled as it gusted around the block of ice preventing Fen and Dimitri from following Bardolf into the chamber. The mountain rumbled, shaking the block, loosening the edges as the wind continually battered the seal. Spiders raced to spin their fiery strands around the entire block of ice so that water ran in streams to unseal the door.

Bardolf raged at them. His blood, tainted with the vampire's acid blood, dropped in great globs on the floor, causing the two women to look uneasily at one another. The cave was Xavier's domain and blood would call evil to it.

Bardolf clapped his great claws together and chunks of ice fell on the thick fiery web. Instead of destroying the fire spider's web, the chunks melted as they dropped through, the silken strands glowing and leaping with fiery flames.

Behind him, Bardolf could see the door melting away. He chose the fire rather than facing the two hunters. Using his speed, he rushed into the web, expecting to break through. The webbing wrapped him up, trapping him while thousands of fire spiders leapt on his body, biting and feasting on his flesh. Flames raced through his fur, engulfing him as he fought to break out of the dense web.

Behind him, the door fell from a combination of the elements and the two men working on it from the other side. Fen and Dimitri rushed into the room so fast they nearly ran into the fire web themselves. Both stopped abruptly, shocked at the sight of the two women standing together, side by side, while the Sange rau struggled in the fiery webbing. It wouldn't kill him, but it certainly would slow him down.

The floor rippled, the ice pushing upward in places as if the cave had become unstable.

"Hurry, Fen," Tatijana said. "We can't stay here. There's evil coming for us."

She lifted her hands into the air, stepping closer to the web. Spiders, spiders, friends of ours, ensure your flames do my lifemate and kin no harm.

"Fen, now." Desperation edged her voice.

Muffled sounds came from beneath them, a booming, like a heartbeat, striking dread in all of them.

Seeing Bardolf covered in thousands of spiders, being eaten alive and burned at the same time, gave him pause, but he trusted Tatijana and he forced himself to step forward into that fiery web. He caught hold of Bardolf, trapped in the fire, expecting the flames to burn him, but when he touched the web, he felt only sticky silk against his skin.

Spinning Bardolf to face him, he slammed the silver stake in his fist straight through the heart. Lifting his hand, he caught the sword Dimitri threw to him and in one motion, sliced through the neck, so that the Sange rau's head rolled onto the shifting floor.

At once the fire spiders leapt on that as well, covering the head until there was only a sea of moving spiders and fiery flames and Bardolf was swallowed beneath them.

"We have to go fast," Tatijana said.

She stuck her arm into the web and Branislava did so as well. A narrow opening appeared. Both men shifted and streamed through. The women shifted as well and all four moved through the chambers as fast as possible until they came to the lava tube, their only exit.

Whatever evil had been awakened below them had roused the creatures inside the tube. They could hear the bats squeaking in alarm.

We have no choice, Fen said.

Tatijana and Branislava looked at one another. Their hands went up simultaneously. Spiders, spiders of crystal ice, spin your web of strongest light. Spin and dance, surround and form, prevent these creatures from doing us harm.

Tiny white spiders swarmed up the tube, spinning crystalline silk, all the way up the cylinder in one continuous web of light. The inside of the tube began to glow as the spiders spun and danced, more and more slipping out of cracks to join in a glorious display of shocking light. The creatures couldn't stand the light and wailed, moving back hastily into their dens.

Quick, the effects won't last long, but Bronnie says they can't see when the light is so bright. We have to hurry, Tatijana advised.

Fen went first. As he rose, he could see into the darker holes where the creatures resided. Bits of bone and fur and dark blood stained the entryways and walls inside the honeycombed dwellings. He streamed past, knowing speed mattered this time, not finesse.

Tatijana followed close behind him and Branislava was on her heels. Dimitri brought up the rear. The moment they were all out, Fen and his brother both turned back to lean over the tube. Already the light was fading and the bats began to swarm up the tube after their prey.

Fen and Dimitri together waved their hands and murmured a firm command.

"Go, run. The moment you're out, get in the air fast and away from here," Fen snapped.

The women didn't argue; both streaked through the narrow tunnel back to Bardolf's cave and then out into the open air. They leapt straight up, shifting as they did, the two dragons banking and then, wings flapping hard, shooting out of the mist.

Fen and Dimitri followed them, practically on their heels. Behind them, the world blew apart. The lava tube detonated, a fiery blast that shook the entire mountain. The shock waves from the explosion followed them through the caves, blowing a hole just to the side of Bardolf's chosen lair.

Fen and Dimitri flung themselves skyward, shifting as they did. The concussion sent both of them reeling through the air and out of the mist as if the mountain threw them away. Tatijana raced back, her dragon diving beneath Fen, while Branislava managed to seat Dimitri on her fire dragon.

I'm ready for a long sleep in the ground again, Branislava said. Your adventures are very exciting, but too much of a good thing is exhausting.

Fen had to agree with her.