Paul smiles. “And there you have it,” he says. “Victoria, if you will… step inside.”
“No,” I say, striding forward. “I am the strongest one here. I will do it first. If something bad happens to me—” I glance at Paolo. “Kill Paul.”
For a second, fright comes over the fledgling’s face, but it is quickly replaced by that steely mask.
I come up to the space. I reach out with one hand and let my fingers touch the glow.
When nothing happens, I am pacified enough to step in.
The moment I do a strange sort of peace descends over me. A pressure I did not even know existed is lifted off my shoulders. I feel spectacularly light.
I do a slow turn, satiating in the feeling… and then step out.
The moment I do Paul staggers back—almost in fear.
“You are so strong,” he whispers.
Victoria looks at me in amazement. “James,” she says. “You’re no longer cloaked.”
My eyebrows go up. I look over my body. “Is that so?”
“Goddammit, I forgot how strong you are,” she says.
I shoot her a cocky grin. “Impressed?”
“No wonder you took on Chandler,” Paolo says. “You were holding back the whole fight, weren’t you, you bastard? You were just toying with him the entire time!”
“I’m not fond of unnecessary killings,” I say, confidently.
But on the inside, my mind is reeling. I only beat Chandler by fluke. We were more or less evenly matched.
Why are all of them acting like I am suddenly so much stronger?
Victoria walks around the edge of the barrier and stops beside me. She looks me up and down, then makes me do a turn.
“Fascinating,” she intones. “Paul, it looks like you were right. The Currents really are repelled by the force field the orbs create. That is why the spell over James was burned away as soon as he stepped inside.”
“Your turn, then,” I say. “I presume it’s safe.”
“Seems like it,” Victoria says. She steps inside—and gasps.
Then quickly she darts back out.
“It’s horrible!” she shudders. “Paul, turn it off, make it stop!”
“I can’t stop it,” Paul says apologetically. “It will dither to an end as the power from obsidian seeps out.”
“And how long will that take?” I ask.
“An hour, maybe two.” He shrugs. “You pressed me so I couldn’t do the precise calculation. It all depends on the latent might contained in each orb.”
I turn to Victoria. “Are you okay? What happened?”
“I’m fine,” she says. “It did what it was supposed to do. But with the Currents gone, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Weak in magic as I am, I still have a reliance on the Forces.”
“So… it was a success?” A cautious smile spreads over my lips. “Does it mean we can trap Cierra?”
“We’d have to lure her in somewhere to spring the trap,” Victoria says. “Even without the glow, a witch could feel the Currents being repelled from the space a mile away.”
I look at Paul. “You said the length of time the forcefield stays up depends on the obsidian orbs.”
“The bigger, the older, the better,” he says.
“And how old, how big, do you have access to?”
“The Order has an incredible stock of obsidian,” Smithson volunteers. “The largest in the world. It is one area where we have the Crusaders beat.”
I rub my hands together, for the first time seeing a ray of hope part the dark clouds overhead.
“Then we go there,” I say, “and we bring them here, where we will carve them, prepare them, and have them ready to spring on Cierra when the time is right.” I wink at Victoria. “I don’t think we have to fear the Black Sorceress anymore.”
The look she gives me in return says clearly how big a fool she thinks I am.
Chapter Eighteen
Dagan
Near The Crypts.
“Well, here we are,” I say, looking out at the edge of the great fortress looming in front of us, the one part of the Crypts that is clearly above ground and visible to all humans who might pass by. “I did not think we’d be back so soon.”
Beth gives me a muted look. She seems nervous.
Even though it is an architectural marvel, centuries old, no humans have dared come close to investigate it, because of their natural aversion to so many vampires in one place.
I still haven’t gotten an answer about what the hell those ominous black shapes that came out of the darkness were, the ones that forced me to jump in the river with an unconscious Beth in my arms. They play on my mind, but their unknown nature is much less important than the impact of the influence the ancient ones forced on me.
The one that makes finding Beatrice the absolute highest priority.
“You didn’t know about this way when you took over that outpost, did you?” I ask Beth.
She shakes her head. “No.”
“Not many vampires do. The tunnels from this fortress to the main heart of The Crypts go for miles. I don’t hold it against you.”
She shoots me an annoyed look. I give her a smirk in return, then continue.
“Right, then. There is a boundary line up ahead that is always watched. Once we cross it, the Crypt vampires will know we are here. I need you to stay behind.”
Her eyes nearly bulge out of her head. “What?”
“You heard me,” I repeat. “You stay here while I go in. I’ll quickly find something that belonged to Beatrice and come back.”
She stands up to full height. “I am not letting you go in there by yourself. Did you forget what happened to you in that intersect of the Dream Realm?”
“Of course not,” I sneer. “And that is exactly why I need you to stay. We don’t know if the King is alive or dead. If he’s dead—there’ll be mayhem. Of course, there’s the possibility that The Ancient has not yet allowed word to spread…”
“Logan is not dead,” she hisses. “My father is not dead!”
“Then it makes even more sense for you to stay behind, given what transpired between him and me so recently.”
“Dagan,” she tells me, “there is absolutely no way I am letting you go in on your own. You need me. I am the only trump card you’ve got. Logan is alive. Both of us know it, but we also both know he won’t exactly throw a grand celebration on your return. You need me to temper his anger. Besides—if it is as you say, and he’s practicing Blood Magic? Well, you’ll need a witch on your side to protect you.”
“I don’t need protection,” I growl.
She laughs. “Just because you took Logan on and won in the Dream Realm doesn’t mean you stand a chance in real life.”
“I don’t intend to fight him,” I tell her. “That would be a suicide mission. In fact, if I can help it, I don’t intend him to know I’ve returned at all.”
“And how do you expect to do that?” she demands. “He’s not much of a king if he doesn’t know the coming and going of one of his strongest vampires.”
“There are secret passages,” I reluctantly admit. “You know about them through the damn curse you sprang on me. I took them with Riyu.”
“And you also let Riyu escape,” she says. “Now you’ve come back empty-handed.”
“Logan tasked me with finding Beatrice,” I tell her, neglecting to mention that he took back the order later on.
“So, you’ve failed on both fronts, you fought him in the Dream Realm, and now you think he’ll just take you back with open arms?” She scoffs. “The only way you have a chance of surviving your return is by taking me with you. It makes absolute sense. You found Logan’s daughter, and you came back to present her to the King.” She lowers her voice. “It is the only explanation he even has a chance of accepting, and you know it.”
“Dammit, Beth, can’t you see what’s clear right in front of your eyes?” I roar. “Once Logan takes one look at you and sees the resemblance, there is no chance in hell he will let you go. None! That’s why you need to stay behind! It’s the only way.”
She gives me a coy look. “I think you underestimate the power of my womanly charms.” She bats her eyelashes at me. “Daddy would do anything for his long-lost daughter.” She makes a pouty face. “Don’t you think?”