Chapter Twenty
~An Ancient Riddle~
After a bit of searching, Logan found the entrance leading deeper into the cavern. Before setting off, he painstakingly studied the glyphs on that smooth wall again, trying to glean some hint of the right direction. There was none. He read to Laura what he could, and it amounted to a very fleeting mention of “the Proper path.”
The entrance deeper was tight, creating a claustrophobic feel with the two of them walking side-by-side. But Laura wouldn’t be separated from Logan if her life depended on it. He was her only chance of survival.
A mixture of satisfaction tinged with doubt flooded her at that thought. Here she was, in the depths of the earth, accompanied by a creature of near god-like power. Not only that, but he was sacrificing all that he was, all that he could become, just for her. For some inexplicable, unfathomable, and incomprehensible reason, he seemed to care for her. He had forsaken his race, his own kind… for her.
She couldn’t understand what led Logan to show her the dream world in the first place, especially if he knew the risks it would entail beforehand. And he claimed he did. Knowing that he had taken on that risk for her – despite how it all had turned out – gave Laura a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach. She stumbled a bit, but caught herself. She wasn’t getting woozy, was she?
No, she wouldn’t let herself be a slave to her emotions again. She had to focus on her current situation. On surviving her current situation.
She carried a lit torch, which broke the darkness for a few yards in front of her. Logan was carrying more, as a backup supply in case hers died before they got out. If and when they got out, she thought somewhat gloomily.
She had no idea how long this tunnel was, and neither did Logan. So far, it had been cut straight into the rock, with no division or splits. But she would bet anything that that wouldn’t last long. For all she knew, it could take ages for them to find their way out.
Abruptly, a thought occurred to her. “Hey,” she asked Logan, “what about the dream world?”
“What about it?” Logan replied.
“I was just thinking… if you take us into the dream world, like you did before, we’ll be right in this tunnel, won’t we?”
“That’s right.”
“So, you said time flows differently there. We can explore the tunnels and find the right way out before coming back to our bodies.” She was critically aware what the danger of getting lost down here, with no source of food or water, meant for her. “If we catch the dream at the right wave, we can be back in minutes. We’ll know the right path, and there’ll be no danger of us taking a wrong turn and getting lost down here forever.” She was also critically aware of the hunger pains that were starting to attack her stomach.
“No,” Logan said intently, “we cannot do that. The elders are monitoring our dreams – mine in particular. If we enter the dream world, they’ll know right were where are, and how to get here. They’re watching for our entrance to that world.
“And that’s not the worst of it. The elders have great power, great control, over the world of dreams. If we leave the physical realm, they can turn the entire dream into a never ending nightmare. They will torture us, inflicting pain so severe that it cannot be matched in reality. We will be trapped forever, with no hope of ever returning to our bodies. That is a sentence much worse than death.”
“But isn’t it possible to enter the world without arousing their attention? It must be!”
“I thought so when I went there with you.” He shook his head. “No, we cannot do it. It’s too much of a risk.”
“I’m not like you, you know,” Laura suddenly snapped. “I can’t just go without food forever.” Her hunger was getting the better of her.
“I know. I’ll find a way out. I’ll find the Proper path.” His voice was determined, steely. Half to himself, he added with a whisper, “I know I will.”
Laura prayed he would.
--
They had been walking for what must have been a few hours when the slope of the tunnel started going down. The air was becoming damp, stale and heavy with age. Laura did not think anybody had been here for generations.
Slowly, the sides of the rock came closer together, until Laura couldn’t walk side-by-side with Logan anymore. She took the lead in front of him, and he let her go without protest.
A pang of guilt struck her for the way she snapped at him before. They had walked in near-silence since then, and she debated apologizing, but thought the better of it each time. In the dark, damp air of the cave, she wasn’t in the most tolerant of moods.
Suddenly something caught her arms and legs, preventing her from moving. She tried to jerk them free, but they wouldn’t budge. She was trapped! She cried out, and struggled mightily against whatever was holding her. But the more she moved, the more restrained she felt. What the hell?
“Stop moving,” Logan laughed behind her. “You’re in a giant cobweb.”
“A cobweb?” Laura hated spiders, hated anything to do with them, and the thought of being entrenched deep in their disgusting sticky thread was petrifying. She tried to pull back, to jerk herself free with more force than before, but ended up only feeling more trapped. She could feel the gluey substance on her arms, on her face, in her hair.
“I said, don’t move,” Logan chuckled. “I’ll help you out.”
Laura felt a jerk above her, heard a tearing noise, and dropped to the ground unceremoniously. She stared daggers at Logan.
“Why didn’t you tell me it was coming?” she demanded. “You must have seen it, with your eyesight!”
“You were in front,” Logan shrugged, “I figured you would have a handle on things.”
“A handle on things?!” Laura was furious. She ripped the threading from her arms, from the front of her dress, and out of her hair. And she threw it all at Logan. Deftly, he caught it, and tossed it back at her. It landed right in her arms. Emitting a high-pitched screech, she shoved it away and scrambled back. And he laughed.
“Don’t you dare laugh at me!...” she began, but suddenly realized the humor in the situation. Either that, or Logan’s laugh was so overpowering it had affected her. She started to chuckle too, and soon broke out into a full laugh.
“So you’re not mad at me?” Logan asked.
“Mad? Why would I be made?”
“You haven’t said a word for the past hour.”
Laura stared in amazement. Was he really so sensitive as to how she regarded him? Here was a paragon of an man, with superhuman abilities and otherworldly powers, and he was worried if she was mad at him? None of it made any sense.
“No, I’m not mad,” she told him gently.
“Good,” Logan said. “In that case, you wouldn’t mind if I take the lead? We can avoid any other nasty cobweb incidents then.”
“I think I’d like that a lot more,” Laura replied kindly.
They kept going, marching on in the darkness. Laura noticed the floor started to curl up a bit, hopefully signaling that they were done with the descent into the earth. The light from her torch had grown weaker, but she didn’t want to replace it until it was fully extinguished.
In the distance, Laura started to make out a widening of the tunnel. As they got closer, she realized that there was a fork in the path. The two holes carved into the rock were completely identical – neither gave any indication of where it led.
“Which way now?” Laura asked.
“Hold on,” Logan replied. He walked a few paces into the first split, turned around, and walked the same distance into the other one. After a moment’s pause, he nodded. “This one,” he told her.
“How do you know?”
“The air is fresher here.”
Laura breathed in deeply, and coughed. The air was not fresh no matter what he said.
They continued on for a long time, coming across no other divisions in their path. Abruptly, the tunnel curved left sharply. When they walked across the corner, Laura saw the tunnel split into two again. But thick steel bars barred one way.
Laura walked up to them, and shone her torch inside. Shadows swallowed up the light in the distance.
“What do you think is past here?” she asked.
“A prison,” Logan replied with unexpected conviction.
Laura shivered. “For who?”
“I don’t know.”
Just as Laura was about to turn back, she noticed her light reflect off a small white surface. She looked down – and stumbled back when she realized it was part of a human skull. And scattered on the floor lay broken bones that had been snapped at unnatural angles. Laura had a flashback to what she’d seen when she touched that tower – the screaming faces, the hanging bodies. Had it been done here?
She was breathing heavily, and her eyes were darting from side to side. Every lingering shadow around her could hide anything– anything at all. Suddenly she wasn’t so sure they were all alone down here after all.
Logan caught her by the shoulders, and turned her around to face him. “Don’t worry,” he told her soothingly, as if reading her thoughts, “the remains you saw are ancient.”
That calmed her down a little. She didn’t know if it was the sound of his voice, or the feel of his strong hands on her that did it, but he made her feel slightly less frightened. More at ease.
She gripped him in an iron hug, and he wrapped his arms around her too. “Logan, I’m scared,” she mumbled into him. She had been fighting her fear before, fighting against the unease and uncertainty that emerged from being in this unfamiliar, completely foreign situation. But saying the words out loud made her admit it even to herself. “What if we never get out?”
“Laura.” He pulled back so he could look in her eyes. “I promise you, I will get you out. We will survive this, and we’ll emerge stronger. That, I swear.”
She sighed. Hearing the assurance in his voice, it… summoned the courage within her. “I know you will,” she said softly. And this time, she truly believed it.
They ventured further into the cavern, coming across more divisions in the path. Each time, Logan would come into each entrance, sniff the air carefully, and then decide which way to go.
The ground had tilted down again. Which meant that they were straying deeper and deeper into the earth. Laura hoped it would slope up soon.
They walked a long way in silence. Laura was alone with her thoughts. For better or for worse, she had to embrace the situation she was in. Everything about it was unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and it all started from that journey into the dream. It seemed to have happened ages ago. And the incident with Brady, in the halls of her school, where Logan first defended her… that seemed to be an entire lifetime ago.
She missed her family, her friends, her dog. She missed home. But she also recognized the harsh reality of it all. She would never be able to go home, never be able to see anyone she knew again.
Logan was walking a few steps ahead of her, and Laura watched him. He had been her only constant since leaving only a few days ago. She realized now that she was with him to the bitter end.
He walked on, and she watched. She admired his posture, his gait, and the way his skin was so perfectly smooth and beautifully white. His hair, his manner of being, the way he talked. And his laugh. She hadn’t noticed it before, but she now realized that his laugh was absolutely amazing. She loved the way he laughed – she knew it would fill up a room. She hoped bitterly that they would live long enough for her to hear it again.
Suddenly the tunnel opened up into a small cavern. The rock above her head became much further away, making the enclave feel spacious. They walked right into the middle of it, and Laura waved her torch around. To her amazement, she saw two other ancient torches, still enact, bolted against the walls. She lit them, providing light that covered the whole space.
She heard the sound of dripping water, and turned towards it eagerly. A small stream, barely the width of her forearm, flowed across the floor. She jumped to it, kneeling on her hands and knees to drink the sweet liquid.
“Wait!” Logan hissed at her, but she swallowed it greedily. She hadn’t had anything to drink since entering these tunnels, and was parched. Suddenly she felt Logan’s hands on her shoulders, and was being pulled away.
“What are you doing?” she demanded.
“You don’t know if it’s safe to drink,” he said sternly. Laura realized he was right. “Let me try it, first.” She nodded.
He dabbed a finger in the stream, and brought it up to his mouth. After a few seconds, he nodded at her. “It’s fine.”
With only a little more composure, Laura dove back down to gulp up the water. When she was done, she looked over at Logan, who had taken a seat beside her.
“It’s getting late,” he said, “and we’ve had a long day. I think we should spend the night.”
“What, here?”
“Why not? Better than sleeping in one of those cramped tunnels.” Laura could see the logic there, and realized that she was getting tired.
She agreed, and they set up camp in the enclave. Which consisted of little more than arranging some of the rocks in the ground to make room for a spot to lie down. The earth was cold, and Laura shivered.
“Here,” Logan said, taking off his shirt to give to her as a blanket. “It might keep you warm.”
Laura huddled into it, and watched Logan as he sat back. He had a perfectly shaped chest and chiseled abs, and the muscles in his arms were lean and hard. And there were three wide scars, almost like claw marks, stretched across his torso They looked old, faded.
“How did you get those?” Laura asked.
“An accumulation over the years,” he replied simply, looking down at himself. “Memories of another time. They never healed quite fully.”
“Did it hurt?”
“I’ll tell you another time. You better get to sleep for now.”
Laura wondered what would be strong enough to get close enough to a vampire to harm him like that. She wanted to ask more, but could tell he didn’t want to say anything on the subject. Her heart went out to him. She wished she were there when it happened, so she could nurse him back to health, tell him that everything would be alright.
He sat back, staring into the distance. Laura realized she hadn’t seen him sleep once over the past number of days. She asked him about it.
“Normally,” he disclosed, “after a regular feeding, the urge to sleep goes away. You stay up for maybe a day or two, sometimes more. It feels a bit like you’re stimmed out, but… more serene. It’s hard to explain unless you experience it.”
“But it’s been longer than that,” Laura said. And yawned unintentionally.
“I know. Ever since I tasted vampire blood… I’ve felt different. Not even stimmed out, just… calm. Haven’t felt the need to sleep, yet. I feel like I’ve woken up from a very long nap.”
“Ok.” Laura yawned again. The day had gotten to her.
She turned to her side, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
--
“Wake up,” Logan whispered, shaking her awake.
Laura looked up. The light from all but one torch had been extinguished, creating a cover of darkness. She could see Logan kneeling beside her. He looked alert. “What’s wrong?”
“I feel… a presence.”
Laura sat up groggily. “What do you mean, a—”
Suddenly something flew at her. A large shadow. She screamed, but before the sound was out of her throat, Logan pounced in the way. Next thing she knew, Logan was on the floor, tussling with someone else. A man. Unclothed except for a ragged loincloth. He looked ancient, but he was strong. He had Logan under him, and clawed at his face, but Logan threw him off just in time. Before the man had a chance to recover, Logan was on him, pinning his arms and legs to the ground. They struggled for a bit, but Logan had him caught.
“Who are you?” Logan demanded.
“I should ask the same of you,” a raspy voice answered. The man did not fight Logan’s grip anymore. “Enough of this struggle. I see you’ve brought a treat.” His eyes focused unnervingly on Laura. Her eyes widened. He was a vampire.
If it was possible, Logan strengthened his grip. “She is not a treat,” he said harshly.
“What?” The man – vampire – seemed genuinely shocked. “You… protect this human?”
“Yes.”
He sneered in response. “So be it. Let go of me, I won’t harm her.” Logan didn’t move. “Do you take me for a liar? I live and die by my word. If she is yours, I will not touch her.” After a moment’s pause, Logan relented. Slightly.
“Who are you,” Logan asked again.
“I will answer your questions, friend, if you first answer mine. What brings you here, to disturb me in my place of peace?”
Logan paused, and then spoke. “I am Logan, and my companion is Laura. We came to these dungeons seeking respite, but now search for a way out.”
“A way out?” The vampire snorted. “My child, you have been going the wrong way if you are searching for a way out.”
“What do you mean,” Logan asked slowly.
“The way out lies at the black and white towers. For those who enter, it is the only way.”
“The towers outside this place…” Logan said to himself. Then he rounded on the man. “You lie. There is fresh air along the paths the way we are going.”
The man laughed bitterly. “You don’t know where you are, do you? Of course not. You are much too young.” Then his tone shifted considerably. “Get off me. I mean as I say, I will not harm her.” Cautiously, Logan backed off. And placed himself between the ancient vampire and Laura.
The man rose to his feet, and regarded Logan openly. He did not spare another look for Laura. “What I say is the truth. You will find no entrance to this place other than by which you came. And you are not deceived – it is in fact fresh air you smell along the paths. But it comes from a gap in the ceiling high above. You will find no exit there.”
“The way back is blocked,” Logan said defiantly.
“Oh? Then you are doomed to roam these tunnels for eternity.”
“Who are you?” Logan asked again.
“Ah. Yes. You may call me Rafael.” He nodded to himself. “It has been a long time since I have heard anyone use that name. You are welcome to use it, brother. I have not seen another of our kind for some time.”
“How long have you been down here?” Logan asked. Laura thought it might have been centuries upon centuries.
Rafael spread his hands grandly. “I am a recluse, and have been so my whole life. But in this place? Perhaps since I was as old as you.”
Laura gawked. She didn’t know it was possible for vampires to age, but this Rafael looked absolutely ancient. And if he claimed to have been here since he was Logan’s age, and Logan had been alive for over four hundred years… her head spun. It was a length of time that was unfathomable.
“I see you, little human.” He moved his head to look around Logan at Laura. “You are the one who has been in my dreams.”
Rafael took a step forward, and Logan snarled. “Stay back,” he warned.
Rafael spread his arms again. “You intrude on my space, demand answers to questions you should not ask, and now you threaten me again? I have told you, I am of no danger to your human. But I know of others who may be.”
“Who?” Laura blurted out.
“Ah, so the child speaks,” Rafael chuckled. He addressed Logan again. “I suspected it was you when I first saw you outside, examining the towers. But hearing her voice confirms it.” Laura frowned. She didn’t like being ignored.
“You saw us outside?” Logan sounded stupefied. “I would have felt your presence had you been there.”
Rafael smiled. “You have things to learn, still, young brother. Not everything is quite as it appears.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean what I say, quite simply. Had I so desired, I could have snatched the girl from you before you had a chance to blink. That is what those who call themselves the elders would have wanted, anyway.
“As for your question, Laura—” he emphasized her name as if believing it to be false “—those of danger to you are the ones who chase you. But you already know this. What you may not know is the scope of the threat. Our elders have placed quite a high reward on your capture. And yours too,” he addressed Logan, “kin-slayer.”
“What did you call me?”
Rafael shrugged. “Do you not have the blood of vampires on your hands? Or, perhaps more accurately, the blood of a vampire running through your veins? We are all a family, bound by a bond deeper than that of siblings. And you have killed two, have you not?”
“If you know all this,” Logan said harshly, “why have you not acted? What I have done is an abomination of our creed. No vampire alive would look upon me without planning my death.”
“No vampire you know of, perhaps,” Rafael replied, “but I doubt you knew of me before today.” He took another step forward, and this time Logan didn’t protest. “Ah. I am free to walk in my own home? Yes.” He started pacing in a circle, around both Logan and Laura. “The Vassiz have not killed one another for hundreds of years, Logan. Not since the rise of the elders has there been bloodshed amongst our kind. You change this, I know it. I believe your friend Laura knows it too. But why has this happened? Why have you broken the peace?
“Is it for the girl? As much as I would believe in happy endings, that is much too simple explanation for what has happened. And what has happened to you in the past week alone might rattle our kind right to the essence of our very core. But… I am simply an impartial observer. The politics of the elder councils do not intrigue me. I much prefer my quiet. Perhaps that answers your question. I do not look to get involved in the happenings of the upper world. Killing you, abducting your friend… it would draw too much attention to myself. That is why I pose no threat to you.”
“How can I trust you?” Logan asked.
Rafael laughed again. “Oh, but you already do. From the moment you released your grip, you have ceded your trust in me.” And before Logan could even react, Rafael was at Laura’s side, holding a fistful of her hair and tracing a fingernail along her neck. Before Laura could form a scream, Logan roared, and charged at him, but Rafael moved impossibly fast, coming to the spot where Logan was before. He laughed.
“You see? You do not know a tenth of the power your body possesses. I have lived long years, and have learned many secrets. But I am of my word; I did her no harm.”
Logan looked down at Laura with worry plain on his face. She met his eyes and nodded. “He didn’t hurt me.” She shivered as she remembered his touch, though.
“You will not do that again,” Logan growled.
Rafael laughed again. “Or what? You’ll catch me with your quick foot speed? Hah! You move so slow it’s like you’re running in quicksand.” He was taunting Logan; taunting both of them. “You have no choice but to trust me. You are in my domain.”
Logan looked at Laura. And sighed dejectedly. “What he says is true. I do not like to admit it, but… he is truthfully faster than me.”
“Boy, I am not only faster, but stronger, and more intelligent, too. I have seen more in my years in this cave than you have your whole life. But hear this: if you and your girl behave yourselves, I may be willing to help you.”
“Help us?” Laura spoke this time. “Help us how?”
“…you let her speak freely,” Rafael said to himself, “it is not like the old days…” Then he turned his attention back to them. “If you listen well, heed what I say, you may yet get out of this cavern alive. But you have to put your absolute faith in me.”
“Why would we do that?” Logan spat. “You have done nothing but taunt us with your riddles and mixed words. What benefit is it to you, if we survive or not?”
“Son, you have much to learn yet. Seek the truth behind my words, and you will understand everything. What I say… it is of no consequence.” He waved a hand dismissively. “But what I mean – that is important.”
“And what do you mean, Rafael? Why seek us out and engage in conversation if you could have skewered us both like pigs?”
“Perhaps I grow lonely,” Rafael said, “or, more likely, perhaps I do not appreciate my dreams being interrupted by these so-called elders.” He scoffed. “They are generations younger than me.”
This time, it was Logan’s turn to gawk. “They are younger than you? But the elders are supposed to be the oldest of all the Vassiz. That is how they ascend to the council.”
Rafael laughed again. “Do not be foolish, boy. Your pride blinds you to the truth. All your life, you have lived in fear of the elders, obeying their commands and abiding by their laws. Is this not true?” Logan gritted his teeth, but nodded. Reluctantly. “You were told it is how things have always been, and that without the elders there is only chaos and disorder. How our race would not survive without their guidance. Were you not?” Again, Logan nodded. And his jaw clenched a little bit more. “Not many have dared to defy them, but you have. And this girl… Laura… she will have a part to play yet. No, I believe your story is far from finished. In fact, I think it’s just begun.”
“What you’re saying… about the elders… it is blasphemy.”
“Do you think I am afraid of the elders? Or their little puppets? There are few things that scare me, boy, and the elders are not one of them.” Rafael’s tone shifted, and it became denser. More ominous. “But for now, you should be afraid. For the elders have visited my dreams, and the dreams of every other living vampire. Whole packs are coming after you, boy, and your darling friend. Packs of vampires enraged by the desecration of your crimes. They will be here soon.”
“Here?” Logan thundered. “You told them we were here! You lied to us!”
“No, I did not lie, nor did I give them any information. But I am guessing the untimely death of one of your pursuers tipped them off. Listen. They are coming.”
A silence came upon the enclosure. Laura strained her ears. She could hear nothing. She waited, holding her breath. Everything was silent. And then she heard… a distant thud. And then… another one. It was a rhythmic vibration. Low, and nearly inaudible. The thudding quickened, coming from the direction they had come from. Yes. She wasn’t imagining things. She could hear it.
“They have broken in!” Logan exclaimed. “Through the blocked entrance!”
“Yes. They’re coming after you.” Rafael smiled. “Your only chance lies with me.”