Dark Tarot (Dark Carpathians)

Benedek reacted first, glancing down at his legs, while Nicu started to run his hand over his arm. Both quickly looked at Adalasia and then Sandu.

“Not funny when we are about to be attacked by whatever can get through that portal,” Benedek declared.

Sandu shrugged but continued forward. “You are the one who thought scales and armor would be a good idea.” Adalasia wanted to kiss him. Telepathically she did just that, and he sent her a little grin of comradery.

Benedek waved his hand to remove the armor, and Nicu did the same. Adalasia’s soft laughter bubbled up, dispelling the grim atmosphere in the cavern. She hadn’t realized how the very air had carried a feeling of doom, just like that persistent drumbeat tried to ensnare her heart.

Sandu continued along a hallway and made a right-hand turn. At once, Adalasia’s skin went white-hot. A thousand needles pricked her skin, warning her. She caught his arm, halting him.

What do you remember of the chamber up ahead? They were all linked, including Tiberiu, and she thought it best that they use the telepathic path rather than speak aloud.

Sandu swept his arm around her, pulling her close to him. The guardians circled them, keeping Adalasia in their center, although they did keep enough of a distance that if they needed to fight, they had room. Tiberiu was on the other side of her, providing an additional guard.

She tried to keep her heart beating in time with Sandu’s. It wasn’t easy. She knew this was their ultimate goal. They were that close. Whatever they had come to find was just in this next chamber. She had trained her entire life for this moment. Was she strong enough? Good enough? Were Sandu and she close enough?

They attacked us with various demons, a full-on attack. We knew we had to drive them back and seal the portal once and for all. The entire family fought them. Justice was everywhere. Without him, we never would have succeeded. They dragged us past the portal into their realm, but my mother and Liona managed to pull my father back. He was so torn up. So many wounds. They had nearly eviscerated him, tearing him open. I don’t know how he lived, how they managed to save him.

Sandu shuddered at the memory of his father’s body torn beyond recognition. There was practically no flesh left on him. The demons had left him for dead and turned their attention to Sandu and Justice. The two Carpathians had gone back-to-back, fighting the creatures off, but the demons were already dead, and being in their realm made it nearly impossible to defeat them.

To their horror, Liona returned, fighting her way to them, determined to aid them in getting out of the underworld and closing the portal. The distance to the portal wasn’t great, but there were too many demons between them and the way out to fight their way free, as torn up as they both were. The demons had inflicted the same horrendous damage on each of them as they had on Domizio. Now, Liona was trying to get to them. Both saw her go down under the gleeful demons.

Sandu knew the exact moment when Justice sacrificed everything to give Liona, his family and him a chance at life. They both ran to Liona, adrenaline giving them the necessary strength to drag demons from her body and hurl them away from her. Justice yanked her to her feet and thrust her at Sandu.

“Run, Sandu. Take your sister and go. Promise me you will put up strong gates, built to withstand the centuries, place guardians so that I can never be freed. Give me your word of honor. One gate for each corner of the earth. North. South. East. West. Word of honor. Our family does not ever go back on our word. Go now. I will hold them off.”

“We can’t leave him,” Liona cried.

Sandu saw the blue flames consuming the glittering light in Justice’s eyes. There was no going back for him. He had let out the beast, fully embraced it in order to give Liona and Sandu, Madolina and Domizio a chance. Sandu fought his way through the line of demons, holding his abdomen together as he ran with one hand so his insides didn’t spill onto the ground. Beside him, Liona fought courageously, and he was thankful she’d been taught from the time she was very young to fight the undead.

Fighting demons was different, but she didn’t hesitate. They made it through the portal, and it was Justice who slammed the portal closed.

The gates, Sandu. Domizio. Build the gates. Surround me with four gates. Cage me in before it is too late.

There was urgency to Justice’s command, and Sandu didn’t hesitate. He and his father constructed gates around Justice, giving him room inside, but the gates were thick, made of the best wood available, wood that could not be burned or corrupted over time. They wove safeguards. Then more safeguards.