Dark Lycan (Carpathian)

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.