“Great.” Adrian growled as he put his hands on his hips and frowned at the blocked alcove. “So youbelieveHunter placed something valuable in the vault on the other side. You don’t know for certain.”
If he told us to guard this place,Gold-Eyes countered astutely as it looked at Adrian,do you think he would guard nothing dear here?As it ceased speaking, it suddenly gestured behind them with its spear, and Layla turned with a gasp. The roiling malevolence of over a hundred Revenants now swirled beyond – Gold-Eyes’ thirty holding a standoff with those that were still feral, staring them down as red eyes seared all around them from both directions of the long hall.
More flowing in by the moment.
“They’re protecting us.” Adrian breathed as he slowly maneuvered Layla behind him in the crystal alcove, Dusk joining them with a low rumble as he stepped protectively before Layla also.
“But for how long?” Quinn spoke now as his onyx eyes flashed copper-red, wrath upon his face as he raised hands, ready.
As long as I wish it.Gold-Eyes smiled then in his smoke-black face – suddenly showing his crafty, diabolical nature.For I am an Original Vampire, far stronger even than any Grandmaster known today. My mind holds sway over those you have liberated, other Originals of lesser might… and their minds hold off the rest, for now. If you do not agree to our bargain, I will tell my liberated ones to release their standoff against the wretches. But we will not be harmed by their fury. We have no bodies any longer to be harmed.
“Only us.” Quinn spoke like daggers now as he turned wrathful onyx eyes upon the Revenant, his gaze sparking with that fire-bright copper. “You wanted an army – that’s why you wanted us to turn only thirty at first. So you could lead us to thirty of the strongest, then seep into their minds and control them, using them to control others… until all the Revenants in the Thin Ways are yours. Maybe even over the entire earth.”
Can you blame me?Gold-Eyes spoke with a pleased smiled now, though it was also dangerous.I will never go under someone else’s sway again, and the more minds I have under my control, the more I can prevent myself being taken. Still, you all may walk free and I will keep our bargain by helping protect you against the Illuminate One’s forces when battle arrives. And if you can find your way in there,it nodded at the blockade of crystal in the alcove,then you can have the Illuminate One’s Treasure. And anything else you might find inside from the Old Dragons.
“Bastardo.” Quinn sneered at the Revenant now, but Adrian held out a hand to him.
“We accept your bargain.” Adrian spoke firmly as Gold-Eyes turned to him. “Once Hunter is vanquished, we’ll return to liberate as many Revenants in the Thin Ways as we can for you. In the meantime, you’ll come to our aid in the upcoming battle with Hunter, and protect any and all people we say to protect, for as long as it takes until they’re no longer under threat. Right now, your kin will hold this standoff while we attempt to get inside this vault; and after we return, escort us safely back through the Thin Ways with our treasure until we get to the Paris Hotel. Deal?”
Deal.The thing breathed through all of their minds, its gold-white eyes lighting up like diamonds at Christmastime as it nodded at Adrian.Since you are the one to make this bargain with us, it is you we shall expect to uphold it, Desert Flame.
“I’m comfortable with that.” Adrian spoke darkly, even as Quinn turned to him.
“Adrian, are you sure?” Quinn asked, his dark eyes frigid now with wariness.
“Right now we need allies against Hunter, Quinn,” Adrian spoke back to him, level. “Could you do any better than an army of Vampire Revenants to protect everyone for this fight?”
Still staring Adrian down with a cold fury boiling through him, Quinn drew a deep breath, then stood up straight. Turning to the Revenant, Quinn stared him down as Layla felt a terrible wrath seethe through Quinn’s dark aura – with a fire-bright sheen like molten gold. “You, Revenant. I will come for you if you break any part of this deal.”
I understand, bastard of magic.The thing sneered at Quinn now with a combination of respect and loathing.And know that your secret is safe with me. If the Vampire High Council in Rome knew what you were… they would come for your head yesterday, wouldn’t they?
Blinking at the Revenant’s barely-veiled threat, Layla turned to Quinn. “Quinn? What does it mean,yoursecret?”
“That’s mine to know, Layla, not yours.” Quinn spoke quietly as he stared at the thing. Though his tone was not threatening to her, his meaning was clear – they would talk about whatever secret he was hiding later, hopefully before his entire Vampire High Council came to kill him over it.
So, we have a bargain?The Revenant asked Adrian now as it turned from Quinn.
“We have a bargain.” Adrian confirmed, holding its gaze as both solidified their deal with a nod. A shiver passed through Layla, wondering if they’d just struck a bad agreement, though it might have just been Quinn’s black aura swirling over her skin as he stared icily at the creature. But then Adrian glanced to Dusk, dismissing the Revenant now that their bargain was struck and focusing on their new task.
“Dusk? Any ideas how we might get through this blockade of crystal and into the hall behind it so we can check out thisTreasureof Hunter’s?”
“I’m working on it. Give me a moment.” Dusk spoke as he ran his hands over the crystal pillars, testing rumbles of sound through them. “I’m beginning to find a resonance with these things, but they’re tremendously immutable. It might take an even greater power than the Bind can muster to break them and get to that Thin Ways slit and open it. Fortunately, I can feel a cavern on the other side now. We might not have the power as a Bind to break these crystals… but we might be able to portal through and pop out into the cavern on the other side.”
“Or get stuck for all eternity inside a heap of unshatterable crystal.” Adrian spoke now as he set his hands to his hips, looking the crystals over with Dusk and scowling. Flowed back from the alcove now, Gold-Eyes watched their group with thoughtful eyes, his awakened Revenants still holding their standoff with the red-eyed ones all around.
“This is an even worse plan than me trying to portal through those micro-diamonds to get into King DuVir’s underground bunker, Dusk,” Adrian continued with a shake of his head, “and I knew precisely where I was going then.”
“It’s worth a shot, Adrian.” Dusk countered as he looked over at his adopted brother. “For all we know, Hunter’s hiding something in there that could give us a serious advantage in the upcoming battle. Or maybe even stop it entirely – if it’s a big enough bargaining chip.”
“Or knowing Hunter, it might be a trap, and kill us all the moment we get in there.” Layla spoke up darkly now. “Clearly, he can get in through these crystals, enough to stash shit in the ancient Vittrian’s strongholds. Even if Hunter’streasurein there doesn’t kill us, the remnants of Vittrian war-accoutrement might.”
“I agree with Layla. We have no idea what’s inside that cavern. It could be death.” Quinn spoke with a dark glance to Gold-Eyes, who waited impassively, watching.
“Still, I think it’s worth trying.” Dusk persisted, glancing around them all now. “Hunter doesn’t know we’re here going after whatever he hid, or anything potentially beneficial from the ancient Vittrian Dragons, or else he’d be here, kicking our asses to stop us. That means we’re in luck right now, and I think we should take advantage of it and try heading in to this cavern to see what Treasure he hid. Worst case scenario? We all die and Hunter calls the attack off from the rest of the people we love. Best case? We get an advantage that helps break his dominance against us, even more than acquiring the help of the Revenants just now – and kick his ass instead of him kicking ours.”
“It’s up to Layla.” Glancing at her, Adrian waited for her to make a decision. “Layla? Do we go in and risk it? Or do we take a win now since we’ve already gotten the Vampire Revenants to agree to protect us in the upcoming fight?”
Pausing, Layla deliberated. On one hand, Adrian was right; if even Dusk thought penetrating this crystal blockade was at the very end of the Bind’s abilities, it might not leave them any power to fight if they faced something deadly upon the other side. But if they passed this chance up, they might lose something of value to Hunter that could give them an edge in the battle ahead – a tremendous edge. Right now, they seemed to be having a stroke of luck against Hunter, and even though Layla still didn’t trust it, like the possiblenullax-barrier advantage, she wasn’t going to turn it down. Rubbing the fingers of one hand on her jeans, she considered their options a moment more.
