A Ride of Peril (A Shade of Vampire #46)(50)

Their voices dimmed as they reached the bottom level and advanced through the basement.

“All flash, no bang,” the curious Destroyer chuckled as they disappeared from my field of vision.

I was able to breathe again. A wave of relief washed over me as I heard Draven scramble to his feet.

“Are you okay, Serena? Hansa?” he whispered.

We both hissed thrice. I used my True Sight to find his shimmering silhouette and took his hand. There was no time for me to digest the horror I’d experienced thinking of all the worst-case scenarios in which the Destroyers discovered our invisible presence there. I was grateful to have Draven in one piece next to me.





Serena





As soon as we reached the bottom of the stairs we stopped, swallowing back the urge to scream with frustration. There were twelve corridors opening from where we stood, each leading in a different direction, and each riddled with danger and green fires.

Draven pulled me to the side, out of sight and reach of anyone who might pass by, and quickly retrieved the notes from my pack and glanced over them again before he shoved them into his pocket.

“If I’m not mistaken, three of these corridors will lead north, where Sverik is most likely to be held captive, based on what Aida saw during her vision,” he whispered.

“Which one do we pick?” Hansa whispered from behind us.

“Might as well try the first one,” he replied. “If not, we come back and go through another.”

“I’m not sure there’s enough time for this. The spell might wear off,” I said.

“I made enough to have a second dose just in case.” He ended the conversation there, and we followed him through the first corridor.

A few yards into the green-lit tunnel, we stepped into a basement chamber, an enormous hall with wet, black walls and a heavy dampness in the air. Hundreds of iron cages were stacked, two by two, one on top of the other with enough walking space between them to make the entire space look like a massive animal shelter—except everybody was doomed to die in here.

All kinds of creatures lay limp behind bars, most of them shackled, the black metal biting into their wrists and ankles. My stomach churned at the sight of so much misery, blood, and pain. They were literally sitting in there waiting to die.

We went straight ahead, walking slowly between the rows, hoping to recognize Sverik. A few minutes in, I heard Hansa gasp and looked over to my right. My heart leapt at the sight of a succubus lying on her side, badly bruised and severely injured with eyes half-open. I got closer to get a better look. Her leather garments and traces of blue war paint made me think she belonged to a tribe similar to Hansa’s.

“Can you hear me?” Hansa whispered to her.

The young succubus was far too weak to even lift her head. She moaned softly and moved her eyes around, unable to see us. My heart broke for her, but deep down I knew we could do nothing for her in that moment. Our mission was clear—retrieve Sverik and run out of here as fast as we could.

“I’ll get you out of here, sister. I promise.” Hansa’s voice trembled.

“I’m sorry, Hansa, but we don’t have time for this,” Draven hissed. “The spell might wear off, and dawn is near. We need to find Sverik, and this is just one of the many chambers where they might be keeping him.”

I looked around and stilled. Heat ran through my body, followed by a peculiar coolness. The spell was already wearing off. Draven and Hansa first emerged as shimmering figures, then their full selves. I looked down and saw my own body and trembling hands.

“Oh, dear,” I murmured.

“Well, that didn’t last too long,” Hansa groaned.

Draven looked at me, his gray eyes flickering black.

“I don’t mean to make this moment any less grave, but it’s good to see you again,” he said to me, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

I couldn’t help smiling back. Hansa punched him in the shoulder, visibly aggravated. “There isn’t any time for this sweet stuff, Druid! Whip out the rest of that spell before someone sees us!” she whispered, gritting her teeth.

Draven searched his satchel, then his pockets and then his satchel again. Shadows passed over his face before he looked at both Hansa and me with a stunned expression. A moment passed before his low voice broke through the silence.

“I think I lost the pouch with the rest of that paste,” he said.

His words crashed into me, and the back of my neck caught fire. We were suddenly visible and very much vulnerable to Destroyer attacks from any possible angle. My instincts kicked in so fast, I didn’t have time to consider panic. Judging by the way Hansa and Draven’s eyes moved around, neither did they.

“It must have fallen off me earlier on the stairs with those Destroyers,” he added with a frown.

One by one, the caged creatures caught glimpses of us in their half-sleeping states. One by one, they sat up, their bony fingers clutching the iron bars, begging us to release them. Incubi, succubi, Lamias, and many other species held down by shackles and locks—they all pleaded and offered us their services, their lands, and their fortunes if we could get them out.

One by one, we were forced to let them down, to lie to them and promise we’d come back for them. And yet, they persisted, their voices getting louder as more of them asked for help.