The creature wrapped its flimsy gowns around the chair and screamed again. There was a sharp retort, like the backfire of a car, then the smoke and the chair were gone.
"What the hell was that?" Her throat was so tight with fear that her question came out hoarse.
"Devil spawn. They're a form of wraith. That one had obviously been set to destroy whatever touched the handle."
She shivered and rubbed her arms. "So if you'd touched that doorknob, you would now be wherever that chair is."
He glanced at her. "I wouldn't be anywhere. I'd be dead, consumed by the spawn. How does the door feel now?"
She looked at it. There was no sense of evil. Still… She thrust the pent-up energy toward the door, opening it. No alarm sounded. No sharp-teethed bits of smoke flew out to greet them.
The room was dark and still. She could sense nothing more than muskiness. Even so, she shivered. She had a feeling Cordell wouldn't stop at just the door. There would be other traps waiting for them in the darkness of the caverns.
"It's safe," she murmured, trying to ignore the churning in her stomach.
Michael tugged her into the room and closed the door. Furniture gleamed at her, ice bright in the darkness.
"What about the next door?" he said.
She glanced at the wall. "Safe. Maybe Cordell didn't expect anyone to get past that wraith."
"Maybe." There was doubt in his voice. "It takes a lot of power to dominate a spawn like that—and they usually work in pairs."
"So there's another one lurking around somewhere?"
He nodded, his face a mask of concentration as he probed the wall with his fingers. After a few seconds, he punched a hole into the plaster and pulled out some wiring. "Want to hunt around for scissors or something?"
She moved across to the drawers. Three were empty, but the fourth was a treasure chest—not only scissors, but several sharp knives, as well. She handed one knife to Michael, then grabbed the other. It was shiny and pointed, the sort of knife doctors used in surgery. It wasn't anywhere near as balanced as her throwing knives but it was better than nothing. She hunted around until she found some sticky tape, and attached the knife to her jeans. If she just shoved it in her pocket, the knife might well cut through everything—her jeans and her skin.
Michael sliced the wires then opened the door into the caverns. No alarm sounded—but it hadn't the first time, either. He offered her the second knife, and she taped it to her other leg. And felt just a little safer for it.
Once more, they entered the cavern and climbed down the stairs. The door slid shut behind them, and the darkness became complete.
Where to first?She shifted from one foot to the other, not wanting to stand here any longer than necessary. At least if they were moving they were harder targets to hit.
Though why she thought they would be targets merely standing here, she couldn't say. Maybe it was nerves. Maybe it was the sense of chilled expectation in the dank air.
Power shimmered around her again. Michael, searching the darkness, trying to find some sign of life in this blanket of night.
We'll try the left tunnel this time. There's a faint heartbeat coming from that direction.
She bit her lip, gaze searching the blackness. Human or otherwise?
Human.He led the way forward again. It's too steady to be a vampire.
Can you sense any vampires?
He squeezed her hand lightly . Not yet. And I don't think it's vampires we'll have to worry about.
Oh great.She tried to ignore the goose bumps crawling across her skin. So how do you kill a demon spawn?
It's usually better to stay out of their way.
Cordell may not make that possible.Her sarcasm bit through the link but was swallowed swiftly by the warmth of his smile.
I guess not. Spawn are difficult to kill. They are creations of magic and fire, and as such are immune to both.
Well, considering neither of us have fire or magic at our disposal, it doesn't really matter, does it?
No. Water repels them. Silver can kill them. And we don't have those, either. Which is why I suggested we try to stay out of their way.
Let's just hope Cordell lets us.
Yes.
They continued on through the darkness. The air became almost dead, as if this section of the caverns wasn't used much. In the distance she could hear the gentle splash of water, a peaceful sound that somehow increased her edginess.
How much farther?
Not far.
The air stirred, whisking heat across her skin. She jumped sideways and bit down on her yelp. Fire leapt across her fingertips, lightning bright in the darkness.
Tension flowed through the link. Nikki, what's wrong?
Something touched me.
She stared into the darkness, seeing nothing, feeling nothing. Yet something had trailed across her skin—her cheek still burned with the heat of its touch.
I don't see anything.
Neither did she. But that didn't mean there wasn't something there. He tugged her forward again. She licked dry lips, gaze sweeping the darkness.
In the distance, light flared and became an incandescent jewel that gleamed brightly in the darkness.
Michael, a flame imp is here with us.Did it intend to help or hinder them? Had the flame imp meant to burn her, or was it merely catching her attention?
Where?
Ahead. Can't you see the pearl of light?
His frown slid down the link. No, I can't .
Ginger had warned her this would happen. She'd said that even Cordell couldn't see them—he could only feel their power. It's about twenty feet in front of us .
Its light glowed a gentle gold across the cavern walls, whisking brightness from wall to wall, gleaming brightly off the thin strand of wire stretched taut across the path.
She stopped and yanked Michael backwards. Trip wire . She pulled her flashlight from her pocket and shined the beam on the wire.
How in the hell did you see that? I couldn't, and I was using my vampire vision.He squatted, intently studying the wire, then the cracked cavern walls on either side.
The flame imp showed me.
So they're on our side?
She glanced at the pearl. It was hovering near a slight curve in the tunnel, its shade a green-tinged blue—colors that hinted at sadness. But why were the flame imps sad? Had another of their number died?
Cordell's killing them. We're their only hope.
He nodded absently, then reached over the wire and gently pressed his fingers against the ground on the other side. Something clicked. For a second, nothing happened, then there was a sigh of air and stakes stabbed in from either side of the wall. Michael fell backwards, barely avoiding having his arm skewered.
"Cordell's playing with us." He rose and dusted off his jeans. Though there was a touch of amusement in his voice, anger stirred through the link. "Those stakes were never meant to kill us."
They certainly looked deadly enough. She frowned at him. "What makes you think that?"
"Two things." He began snapping the stakes, creating a hole for them to walk through. "First off, the wire is attached to nothing more than rock. It was meant as a warning not a trigger. Second, the delay between pressing the real trigger and the stakes stabbing in was enough that we would have been safely past."
She rubbed her eyes. "But that doesn't make sense. Why would he do something like that? Why play games?"