Holy Smokes
Page 80
His fingers squeezed mine in acknowledgement as we followed the bobbing light. Kostya emerged from a side passage, taking up the rear.
“This is not a good situation,” he said.
“We will do the best we can,” Drake answered.
A feeling of dread seemed to leach off the walls and into my pores as we passed tomb after tomb, many of them partially broken, bones scattered across the floor. A faint glow of light pierced the darkness ahead, the weak circle from Nora’s flashlight jerking before it came to an abrupt stop.
“Oh, dear,” I heard her say.
Drake’s fingers tightened as he pulled me behind him. Kostya pushed his way past us both, his silhouette blocking most of the soft yellow light that seemed to pour out of a small doorway cut into the stone.
“Chuan Ren,” Kostya said, moving aside when Drake gave him a shove.
The name hung on the air for a moment. All my anger, all my frustration, all my sorrow and rage came back to me at the sight of the woman standing across a small room lit with portable camp lights.
She was behind this. She had killed Jim’s form. She had blown up a chapel full of innocent people in her attempt to destroy us. And she would not stop until she succeeded.
In the middle of the floor lay a circle created from dusty beige stone, its carvings so obliterated with time that they were almost impossible to make out, but I knew that what I was looking at was a sealed portal. But the seal on this one had been cracked, a piece of a stone lid from one of the tombs lying across it, no doubt knocked there by the force of the explosion above. A greenish black light glowed outward through the cracks, gaining strength with every passing second.
Beyond it, seven people stood. Chuan Ren was flanked on either side by three dragons—none of whom was her mate, I noted absently. I felt oddly relieved—I kind of liked Li, despite the fact that his mate was a homicidal maniac.
“You found us at last,” Chuan Ren said, glancing at her watch. “Seven minutes. I had expected you to find me in two.”
“I had other things of importance to concern me,” Drake said with deceptive mildness. I knew he was mad as hell. Even behind him, I could feel how tense and on edge he was, as if he was poised to attack.
“This portal’s seal has been compromised,” Nora said, stepping forward to wave at the broken stone circle. “I must seal it immediately or it will be opened permanently.”
Chuan Ren smiled at Nora, pulling out two wicked-looking curved swords. “I think not, Guardian. A portal right here will suit me very well.”
“Why?” I asked, squeezing between Kostya and Drake so I could see the seal better. Nora was right—the feeling of dread was coming from the portal, and it was increasing greatly with each breath I took. It was clearly about to break, and when it did…I refused to think of how many people would die in London alone if dark beings could pass through it at will. “Why do you want a portal opened? It can’t harm the green dragons.”
Her red lips curved into a cruel smile. “It can harm you, Aisling Grey.”
“I’m immortal,” I reminded her.
“You can be killed.”
“All I have to do is seal the portal. If not now, at some later date.”
Her smile widened. “I heard you were no longer a Guardian. How will you seal it?”
“Been talking to Bael, have you? Well, you heard wrong,” I answered, giving her a cold little smile of my own. “I’m still a Guardian, and I’m very, very angry. And guess who I’m angry at?”
She tossed her head. “You are nothing.”
“I have told you before, Chuan Ren—you will address me, and not my mate,” Drake said as he moved to my side. “She has nothing to do with what is between us. Threats to her are meaningless.”
“Everything is going to be meaningless unless Aisling and I close this portal. You may argue all you want, but I have a job to do.” Nora took two steps forward and lifted both hands, clearly about to start the sealing process.
Two of the red dragons jumped forward, their blades flashing. Kostya leaped into action, throwing himself in front of Nora as the dragons descended.
“Seal it,” Drake commanded as he, too, ran forward. “Chuan Ren! We will settle this here and now! Meet me body to body!”
She laughed, her eyes glowing with a red light that never failed to give me the willies. “Do you think I will be so easily beaten as the last time you challenged me, Drake?”
“This ends now,” he said, removing his tux jacket.
I didn’t have time to do more than draw a ward of protection on him as Chuan Ren laughed again and tossed him one of the blades she was holding. “Yes, I believe it will end now. I will greatly relish destroying you, as well as your mate and your unborn child.”
Drake snarled something and lunged toward her, the force of their blades meeting generating a tiny blue spark.
The other four dragons started toward me, but I was ready for them.
“Effrijim, I summon thee in whatever form is handy!” I yelled, my hands drawing lightning-fast binding wards.
The four dragons snarled as, at my feet, a small Scottish terrier appeared.
“Jim?” I asked, momentarily taken aback.
Familiar eyes looked up at me, easing the pain that had held my heart in such a tight grip. “Fires of Abaddon, Ash! I wasn’t done picking a form! I was just looking at this one! Oh, man, I’m a midget!”
28
“Attack!” I ordered Jim, pointing at the four writhing dragons.
It stared at me in horror. “Are you kidding? Attack with what? My stubby little teeth? I can nip at their ankles, if you think that will help.”
Drake spat out an oath as he leaped on top of a tomb, blood spilling out of a cut across his chest. Chuan Ren followed him, screaming something unintelligible.
“Oh, for god’s sake, why didn’t you pick a Great Dane or something?” I yelled, running over to slap a binding ward on one of the two dragons who were beating the crap out of Kostya. Nora slammed a piece of stone down on the other one’s head, causing him to reel backwards.
“We must seal it, Aisling,” she cried, closing her eyes and starting to sketch the series of wards of adjournment that were used to seal portals.
“I don’t care what you do, just do something!” I ordered Jim, opening the door in my mind as a piece of the stone seal exploded upward. Imps, small, orange in color, and accompanied by a repulsive smell, started to pour out of the broken seal.
“This is not a good situation,” he said.
“We will do the best we can,” Drake answered.
A feeling of dread seemed to leach off the walls and into my pores as we passed tomb after tomb, many of them partially broken, bones scattered across the floor. A faint glow of light pierced the darkness ahead, the weak circle from Nora’s flashlight jerking before it came to an abrupt stop.
“Oh, dear,” I heard her say.
Drake’s fingers tightened as he pulled me behind him. Kostya pushed his way past us both, his silhouette blocking most of the soft yellow light that seemed to pour out of a small doorway cut into the stone.
“Chuan Ren,” Kostya said, moving aside when Drake gave him a shove.
The name hung on the air for a moment. All my anger, all my frustration, all my sorrow and rage came back to me at the sight of the woman standing across a small room lit with portable camp lights.
She was behind this. She had killed Jim’s form. She had blown up a chapel full of innocent people in her attempt to destroy us. And she would not stop until she succeeded.
In the middle of the floor lay a circle created from dusty beige stone, its carvings so obliterated with time that they were almost impossible to make out, but I knew that what I was looking at was a sealed portal. But the seal on this one had been cracked, a piece of a stone lid from one of the tombs lying across it, no doubt knocked there by the force of the explosion above. A greenish black light glowed outward through the cracks, gaining strength with every passing second.
Beyond it, seven people stood. Chuan Ren was flanked on either side by three dragons—none of whom was her mate, I noted absently. I felt oddly relieved—I kind of liked Li, despite the fact that his mate was a homicidal maniac.
“You found us at last,” Chuan Ren said, glancing at her watch. “Seven minutes. I had expected you to find me in two.”
“I had other things of importance to concern me,” Drake said with deceptive mildness. I knew he was mad as hell. Even behind him, I could feel how tense and on edge he was, as if he was poised to attack.
“This portal’s seal has been compromised,” Nora said, stepping forward to wave at the broken stone circle. “I must seal it immediately or it will be opened permanently.”
Chuan Ren smiled at Nora, pulling out two wicked-looking curved swords. “I think not, Guardian. A portal right here will suit me very well.”
“Why?” I asked, squeezing between Kostya and Drake so I could see the seal better. Nora was right—the feeling of dread was coming from the portal, and it was increasing greatly with each breath I took. It was clearly about to break, and when it did…I refused to think of how many people would die in London alone if dark beings could pass through it at will. “Why do you want a portal opened? It can’t harm the green dragons.”
Her red lips curved into a cruel smile. “It can harm you, Aisling Grey.”
“I’m immortal,” I reminded her.
“You can be killed.”
“All I have to do is seal the portal. If not now, at some later date.”
Her smile widened. “I heard you were no longer a Guardian. How will you seal it?”
“Been talking to Bael, have you? Well, you heard wrong,” I answered, giving her a cold little smile of my own. “I’m still a Guardian, and I’m very, very angry. And guess who I’m angry at?”
She tossed her head. “You are nothing.”
“I have told you before, Chuan Ren—you will address me, and not my mate,” Drake said as he moved to my side. “She has nothing to do with what is between us. Threats to her are meaningless.”
“Everything is going to be meaningless unless Aisling and I close this portal. You may argue all you want, but I have a job to do.” Nora took two steps forward and lifted both hands, clearly about to start the sealing process.
Two of the red dragons jumped forward, their blades flashing. Kostya leaped into action, throwing himself in front of Nora as the dragons descended.
“Seal it,” Drake commanded as he, too, ran forward. “Chuan Ren! We will settle this here and now! Meet me body to body!”
She laughed, her eyes glowing with a red light that never failed to give me the willies. “Do you think I will be so easily beaten as the last time you challenged me, Drake?”
“This ends now,” he said, removing his tux jacket.
I didn’t have time to do more than draw a ward of protection on him as Chuan Ren laughed again and tossed him one of the blades she was holding. “Yes, I believe it will end now. I will greatly relish destroying you, as well as your mate and your unborn child.”
Drake snarled something and lunged toward her, the force of their blades meeting generating a tiny blue spark.
The other four dragons started toward me, but I was ready for them.
“Effrijim, I summon thee in whatever form is handy!” I yelled, my hands drawing lightning-fast binding wards.
The four dragons snarled as, at my feet, a small Scottish terrier appeared.
“Jim?” I asked, momentarily taken aback.
Familiar eyes looked up at me, easing the pain that had held my heart in such a tight grip. “Fires of Abaddon, Ash! I wasn’t done picking a form! I was just looking at this one! Oh, man, I’m a midget!”
28
“Attack!” I ordered Jim, pointing at the four writhing dragons.
It stared at me in horror. “Are you kidding? Attack with what? My stubby little teeth? I can nip at their ankles, if you think that will help.”
Drake spat out an oath as he leaped on top of a tomb, blood spilling out of a cut across his chest. Chuan Ren followed him, screaming something unintelligible.
“Oh, for god’s sake, why didn’t you pick a Great Dane or something?” I yelled, running over to slap a binding ward on one of the two dragons who were beating the crap out of Kostya. Nora slammed a piece of stone down on the other one’s head, causing him to reel backwards.
“We must seal it, Aisling,” she cried, closing her eyes and starting to sketch the series of wards of adjournment that were used to seal portals.
“I don’t care what you do, just do something!” I ordered Jim, opening the door in my mind as a piece of the stone seal exploded upward. Imps, small, orange in color, and accompanied by a repulsive smell, started to pour out of the broken seal.
