Cassandra Pendragon
I was tempted to simply cut my way through one of the walls but there wasn't much of a point to it. I had pierced the stone with one of my wings but after a metre or two, I had felt hardened earth instead of air and I wasn't willing to bury us. The only way out, was up.
With a thought, my wings slithered through the air and vanished into the trap door, silvery blue flames igniting wherever I touched the enchanted wood. With a twist and a shove, I first ripped the spells apart before I tore the whole damned thing from its hinges. Flares of magic sprang to life but they were annihilated as quickly as they formed, the engraved bands of iron glowed red before they crumpled to dust. A satisfied huff escaped me while I pulled one last time and with the sound of tortured metal and splintering wood, the hatch broke lose and crashed down in the middle of the room, a twisted and smoking mass of unrecognisable junk.
"That was surprisingly easy," I said, just before I felt a surge of energy race through the walls, forebodingly glowing runes coming to life all around us. "Or not," I mumbled under my breath.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that something bad was about to happen and while I wasn't particularly worried about myself, I couldn't imagine the girl would escape a crucible of unknown magics unscathed. I wrapped my tails around her tightly and propelled her into my arms, ignoring her startled squeak. We rose into the air surrounded by a cocoon of dancing, silvery light while the walls around us began shaking as if in the grip of an angered dragon.
Pressure mounted against my wings while I strained to reach the gaping hole in the ceiling, hoping that the safeguards I had triggered were confined to the cell. Around us, the air was starting to freeze, the runes drawing in every spark of power in the room. To me, it didn't make much of a difference, it basically felt like feathers brushing over my skin, but Layla stiffened while her life force was pulled from her. She was covered in a vibrant, golden nimbus, the edges frayed where her energy was devoured to further fuel the devious enchantments. A nearly inaudible sigh escaped her and her frail body suddenly relaxed, her eyes rolling up into her head.
"Hold on tight," I hissed and catapulted us upwards, covering the short distance in the blink of an eye. Menacing lines of magic, shimmering in an eerie, red light had sprawled across the exit, an intricate web to catch anyone who tried to leave the ravenous trap. A grim smile formed on my face and without a second's hesitation, I flung myself forward, turning in mid air to protect Layla with my body.
It felt like I was crashing through a spider's web, strands of power attaching to me before they snapped with a resounding thunderclap that shook the walls. One second, I was struggling to pick up speed to get us out of there and the next, I shot through the gap in the ceiling like a bullet from a gun. Before I could congratulate myself wholeheartedly, my back struck another wall, my inertia enough to break my bones. Like a puppet with its strings cut, I fell back down, only just able to roll around and prevent us from tumbling right back through the trapdoor.
I came to a halt a few steps away from the hole, Layla still safely pressed against my chest. "Ouch," I muttered while my ribs and shoulder creaked, the ligaments and joints slowly regenerating. While it wasn't the most painful experience I had had, not by a long shot, it still felt like an army of ants was going to work beneath my skin, nudging the bones back into their places and glueing them together. I could tell that my regeneration was far from what I was used to and it took several seconds before I could breath freely again, never mind getting up. When I felt up to it, I opened my eyes and looked around. Not that there was an awful lot to see.
We were at the end of a barren corridor, the walls made from the same stone as Layla's cell. Not even the flickering light of torches broke through the darkness and even with my enhanced vision, it was terribly difficult to make out any details. I diverted a trickle of energy from my body to my eyes and the world lit up in silvery light. Runes were now clearly visible along the walls, overlapping and entwined like a Pollock painting. I didn't even bother with trying to make sense of what I saw, the enchantments were complex enough that it would take a master artificer years to understand them and I wasn't one to begin with.
Something I could understand easily enough though, were the swirling threads of light above our heads. A bright flare of energy was followed by coalescing sparks, which came together to form the silhouette of a person before the process repeated itself. I counted three distinct figures up until now and from the looks of it, that wasn't the end. A portal was active and every moment, someone else was stepping through. I ground my teeth and swiftly checked my surroundings for other signs of life, an idea I probably should have had quite a bit earlier, but better late than never, as Mephisto had always said.
Form the looks of it, there was a single guard, who was racing towards the portal chamber and two more prisoners, sealed in further up the corridor. Their energies appeared to me as different shades of silvery light, but while the new arrivals were burning brightly, the ones stuck in the cells were barely more than the flickering glow of a matchstick, close to being extinguished. I could only guess, but I imagined the enchantments that had activated in Layla's cell had triggered similar responses everywhere else and the poor bastards had suddenly found themselves being sucked dry of their very life force. At least they wouldn't pose any kind of problem.
Those were rallying upstairs and I had to get my shit together if I didn't want to be found flat on my ass without the ability to move properly. "Layla," I groaned, "can you hear me?"
The warm bundle in my arms squirmed sluggishly but after a moment she opened her eyes and blinked confusedly. "What happened," she mumbled while she tried to piece together why we were prostrated on the ground and why there was a trickle of silvery blood running from the corner of my mouth.
"We got out," I croaked, "and I hit a wall. Can you stand?" She took another moment to move her limbs carefully, before she nodded. "I can, but I don't feel so good, like I haven't eaten in a month. I don't think I can do much more than stand up."
"That's fine," I slurred, while I used all my concentration to shove as much energy at my wounds as I could get my hands on. "If I have to, I'll carry you." A rather absurd statement, seeing as I was curled up around her like a bear during hibernation, but she didn't seem to care.
"That's… that's not it. Cassy, I've got to eat. Soon. The hunger… it's waking up and now…" her words trailed off and her gaze snapped to the trail of blood on my skin. A dark shadow rose behind her piercing blue eyes, her canines elongated and she came even closer, her silky hair tickling my neck. Great, perfect, that was exactly what I needed.
I meant to slap her lightly, but rattled as I was and with a hurricane of power coursing through my body, I might have overdone it, slightly. Her head snapped back and I saw the imprint of my hand on her face in angry red lines, but at least she came to her senses. She immediately covered her mouth with her hands and I saw her bite down on her fingers while she shook her head vehemently, tears forming in the corner of her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her words muffled. "I'm so sorry! Please, don't leave! I didn't meant to…" I reached out and gently stroked her cheek.
"I won't, don't even think that. But I have to know: are you going to bite me as soon as you have the chance?"
"I… I don't know… maybe? It would help a lot if you weren't bleeding. Can you wipe the blood away? I don't think I should touch it." She didn't have to ask me twice. Some sensation had returned to my shoulder and with a low grunt, I rolled away from her, wiped my face and tried to stand up. It even worked, but my knees were shaking and I sincerely hoped that I would still have some time before I ran into the guards. Which reminded me:
"There are people coming for us." I squinted at the ceiling before I continued: "seven, from the looks of it. They're probably your uncle's henchmen. Anything you can tell me when it comes to fighting them? Can I even kill an undead?" She deliberately kept her face turned away from me and when she answered, there was a strained cadence to her voice, as if she had to focus on every word.
"I… the heart. You have to destroy the heart. Everything else will grow back, even the head. It'll take a while, especially when you decapitate one, but if you want to make sure they don't rise again, you'll have to completely destroy their hearts. A bolt or a stake also works. It won't kill them, but if you manage to stake them, they'll be paralysed until it's removed. And don't let them bite you. Our bite induces euphoria, if they get to you, you'll be grinning until they suck you dry."
"We'll see about that. Fine," I rotated my shoulders and neck, trying to chase off the lingering stiffness. My bones had been knit together and while I wasn't feeling particularly sharp or energetic, it would have to do. At least there was only a small knot of fear in the pit of my stomach and it was mainly directed at the little girl I wanted to keep safe. I was a far cry from panicking at the thought of fighting a bunch of vampires. Just as well, overwhelming fear might keep you alive but when you had to face the music either way, I could just do without it. The little things…
Unless… on second thought, the whole pack would probably be rushing down to meet us any minute now, clamouring for blood. If they were smart, they'd be leaving behind one or two to guard the portal, but most of them would be coming for us. If I kept an eye on them, I might be able to teleport through the ceiling, deal with the ones upstairs and step through the portal before they even realised we were gone. Most likely, it should even be possible for me to take Layla along for the ride. Pete had survived when I had pulled him with me on my way to Free Land and I couldn't imagine a vampire to have more difficulties than a human.
There wasn't much to lose in trying, either way. Worst case, they'd be fast enough to catch us again and I'd have to fight my way through. Which was pretty much the same thing as staying here and waiting for them in the first place.
"I have an idea, take my hand and hold on tight. This is going to feel a bit strange, but whatever you do, don't let go. Is that understood?" She hesitated.
"I… I don't know if that's a good idea. It's better, now that I'm not that close to you, but if I touch you again…" her fangs were still elongated and visible behind her lips. There was a wet sheen to them, as if she was salivating in anticipation of a scrumptious meal.
"By all the gods, Layla! I thought you weren't an animal? What happened to you?"
"I'm starved! I don't know why but I'm completely drained. I need blood! My body is already shutting down. You… you can't understand, I've never felt like this before! I don't…"
"Time's up," I interrupted her. "They're moving. If you bite me and you don't burn to a crisp, I'll smack you all the way to next week, are we clear? Good, now come here." She did so reluctantly, struggling with every step. I rolled my eyes and muttered: "we don't have time for this. Don't take it personally." I wrapped a couple of my wings around her, propelled her forwards and pressed her against me, tightly enough that she couldn't even move her head. "Here we go."
While five of the illuminated silhouettes made their way down a flight of stairs I couldn't see and two remained behind, I pushed some of my wings through the ceiling, slicing through the enchanted stone like hot knife through butter. The embedded spells and wards gave way in an instant, small discharges of magic vanishing as soon as they came into contact with my wings. The room above our heads suddenly became visible to me, my second sight expanding while I gained access to the energies swirling around in the chamber.
In the back, the portal had been erected on a small stone pedestal. It resembled a doorframe, hewn from marble with a series of runes, inlaid with different metals, carved into its surface. Two armoured guards stood on either side, clad in full plate mails of darkened steel. Even their heads were protected by sturdy helmets, the faces hidden behind shimmering masks of polished steel. There were no slits to make room for the nose, but wide gaps for the mouth and eyes broke the smooth, metallic surface. A menacing red glowed from underneath, putting to rest the last doubts I might have had when it came to the nature of the new arrivals. And the portal was still active.
A reinforced door stood slightly ajar on the opposite side, presumably leading to a staircase. Spare weapons were piled up along the walls, interspersed with torches every few steps. There were no windows, though, and I assumed the room was still underground, with the staircase leading up to the more habitable quarters and down to the cells. That had to do. It was time.
When the thundering of heavy, studded boots reached my ears and the shimmering figures arrived on our floor, I closed my eyes and willed us along the path of my wings, the last embers of my fear melting away in the fires of my magic. While the world seemed to hiccough, reality vanished and reasserted itself, faster than I could comprehend. I kept my focus on the girl, making sure that I wouldn't lose her, before we stumbled back into the corporeal dimension. A task that didn't become any easier since she was struggling against my hold, either trying to get away from or sink her teeth into me, I couldn't tell which.
When the strange sensation had passed and I felt solid ground beneath my feet again, I hesitated for the fracture of a second. I had intended to immediately throw Layla off of me, but now… I had materialised between the two vampires, directly in front of the portal. Its magic turned the space underneath its arch into a grey, undulating curtain and I was tempted to simply step through and tear the spell apart behind me. But I didn't know what was waiting for us on the other side. I might appear in the middle of an army or crash a vampiric feast. Maybe my chances here were still better? And then I didn't have to ponder any longer. The friendly neighbourhood guards answered my queries, resoundingly.
They were fast, unbelievably so and their reactions were sharper than a knife. However short I had paused, it had given them more than enough time. Energy pulsed form one of them, most likely alarming the others and he was already muttering a far more complex incantation. The other one hadn't bothered with spells or tricks and with an eerie grace, he came charging at us. His weapon, a broad, heavy sword, pierced through my side before I could react and I tumbled backwards.
Pain flared only to be replaced with icy numbness that quickly spread through me. Fear roared to life in my chest when I realised how badly I had misjudged their strength. I coughed up blood when I spread my wings to stop myself from falling, my left side completely insensitive. Another bolt of fear tore through my thoughts when my opponent suddenly vanished in a swirl of shadows only to reappeared behind me. My reaction surprised us all. With a snarl, I hurled Layla at the caster, my wings flaring in a dizzying display of violent light as they suddenly swelled and filled the room with deadly torrents of power and the dangerous smell of ozone.