“To answer your question,” said Geth from his throne, “there is only one Geth, because there is only one vampire in the Mephidross. I control the Dross because I control the vampire.”
The vampire raised its arm and slammed the scythe point down into Glissa’s shoulder. The elf screamed in pain, then horror, as liquid rose up the tube toward its shoulder. The vampire was draining her blood!
Weakness flowed over her. She raised her free hand and hit the vampire in the face, but it was like hitting the golem. She grabbed the vampire’s wrist and tried to pull the spike out, but it was too strong. She grew cold, and her vision started to blur. She could see her life disappearing through the tube and could do nothing to stop it.
She flailed at the arm, but the creature was too strong and she was getting weaker. Then her fingers felt a small tube coming from the scythe’s tip. She wrapped her claws around the tube and pulled. At first, the tube didn’t move at all and Glissa lost hope, but after another moment she felt it shift a bit. She looked up into the vampire’s eyes, but it was reveling in the kill too much to notice. Glissa pulled harder, focusing all her strength into that single task. Little by little the tube inched from the sheath. All at once, the tube sprang free. Blood sprayed over Glissa and the vampire as the tube whipped around in the air.
The vampire roared as the blood stopped flowing into its mouth. Glissa pressed her advantage. She wound the loose tube around her wrist and yanked on it like a rope. The tube snapped taut, pulling the vampire’s head violently backwards. The creature toppled off Glissa, its spike slipping from her shoulder as it fell.
Glissa rolled over and grabbed her sword again. Rising to her knees, she brought the blade down hard on vampire’s wrist. The spike snapped as the sword sliced through it on its way through the creature’s wrist. Geth screamed, “No!” from his throne as the vampire roared in pain. The vampire’s black blood spilled from the severed end of its arm, mixing with Glissa’s red blood in a growing brown puddle.
Glissa stood up and stepped on the vampire’s good arm. She felt a little unsteady but tried not to show any weakness.
“Now,” said Glissa slowly, looking up at Geth, “tell me what I want to know or I will cut off its other arm. You said yourself, there is only one vampire, and I will not show it the same mercy I showed Yert.”
“It’s bleeding to death,” gasped Geth, looking down at his vampire’s severed arm.
“Then talk fast,” said Glissa. “Why did you kill my family?”
“I didn’t kill your family,” said Geth. “I didn’t even know your name until a few rotations ago. We were paid to attack you and that leonin ruler.”
“Who paid you? What was his name?”
“I never knew,” growled Geth. He glared at Glissa, then looked down at his bleeding vampire. “Let me bind his arm and I will tell you everything I know. If he dies, I will tell you nothing!”
Glissa shook her head. “The person who paid you,” she said, recalling the figure she and Raksha had seen the night of the leveler attacks. “Did he wear gray robes and have a domelike head?”
“I don’t know,” snarled Geth. Sweat was pouring down his forehead. “I never saw him. My instructions and payment were delivered by flying artifacts-silver birds with globe heads and no beaks. I never met whoever controlled them. I was paid ten vials of serum for the attack on Taj Nar. I was to get twenty-five more for killing you. I thought I could renegotiate if I captured you alive.”
“Why should I believe you?” asked Glissa. She pressed a little harder on the vampire’s arm, and a fresh gout of black blood spilled onto the floor.
“The proof is in my throne,” screamed Geth. “Now let me help my vampire, or I will call down the entire force of the Vault upon you!”
It was too late. The vampire stopped struggling, and the bleeding stopped. Geth jumped off his throne and ran forward. Glissa slapped the hilt of her blade into the human’s face. There was a crack, and Geth dropped to the ground at her feet. Glissa kicked Geth in the chest to make sure he was truly unconscious, then, satisfied he no longer posed any threat, walked over to the throne.
What was this serum he had mentioned? A compartment in the arm held a single clear vial of blue liquid, the vial no larger than her thumb.
“Hmmph,” said Glissa. “You caused a lot of trouble for so small a price. I think I’ll just take this, if you don’t mind.”
There was no argument from Geth. Glissa dropped the vial into the dagger sheath in her boot and stepped over the ruler of the Vault and his vampire. A trickle of blood still flowed from the vampire’s severed arm.
I don’t want to leave another enemy behind me, she thought. Besides, Geth had done no real harm to her. She kneeled beside the vampire. With her sword in one hand, and an eye on both Geth and his creature, Glissa summoned the power of the distant trees. A ball of green energy filled her palm, and she pushed it down onto the vampire’s wrist. The wrist glowed green for a moment as the wound closed.
Glissa pulled the tubing free from the vampire’s mouth and tied Geth’s hands and legs behind his back. She walked over to Yert’s inert form and prodded him awake. She held her sword tip to Yert’s throat and placed a finger on her lips. Yert nodded his understanding. Glissa walked back over to Geth and slapped the leader’s face a few times until he opened his eyes.
“I could have killed you,” she said, “but I believe you didn’t kill my family.”
Fire raged behind Geth’s eyes as he struggled against the bindings.
“I have healed your vampire, so you may maintain control of the Mephidross, but I suggest you remember who saved your life, Geth. Choose your allies more carefully in the future. Do we understand one another?”
The bound leader glared at Glissa, refusing to nod.
“Come here, Yert,” said Glissa. “Yert here has lost his reaper. Either you agree to keep your nim inside your border, or I leave you tied up and Yert in charge when I leave.”
Geth glared for another moment, then nodded his head. Glissa pulled the tubing from his mouth.
“I will not harm you or the leonin leader,” he said.
“Fine,” said Glissa. “I believe you. One more thing, though. You should find another reaper for Yert. He is your loyal servant.”
Geth nodded his head. “You can trust me.”
“I said I believe you,” said Glissa. “I don’t trust you.”
She replaced the tube, then slammed the pommel of her sword into Geth’s forehead, knocking him out once again. She handed her sword back to Yert and pushed him through the enchanted doorway. Glissa followed the controller into the main hall. The nim in the Vault of Shadows were still doing their menial tasks and took no notice of her. She snatched her sword from the young controller and ran for the entrance.
Shouts rang out behind Glissa as she reached the waterfall. The nim guards turned, but they were too slow. Glissa cut them in half without slowing. She dodged around the murky sheet of water and ran into the Dross. Each step took her closer to her friends and farther away from harm. As she neared the chimney, she dared to glance back and was surprised to see nobody pursuing her.
What she did see stopped her in her tracks. There, just at the far edge of the Vault of Whispers, was the figure from the Tangle. His domed head was reflecting the pale light of the pulsing building. Above him, two birdlike creatures flitted back and forth, the pale light glinting off their blue-domed heads.
“Slobad! Golem!” she cried. “Come here, quickly!”
Her friends appeared in the chimney doorway, but before they could reach her, Glissa felt an all-too-familiar darkness close in on her.
“Not now,” she groaned as she fell face first into the Dross.
* * * * *
When Glissa looked up, she was no longer in the Mephidross. Instead of purple slime and green haze, she saw brown dirt and green plants. Instead of scraggy chimneys around her, she was surrounded by great trees reaching up to a yellow moon … no, a sun. Yes, that was definitely a sun. Its brilliance hurt her eyes when she looked straight at it.