vampire's pores. He tried to scream, but again, only a hoarse whisper escaped.
Fausta gripped his shirt and put her knee on his groin. "You better speak up before I turn you into a eunuch for the rest of eternity."
A horrified look crossed his face. "They left us here to find the secret exit. Amanda left to report to Maximus."
My phone dinged. Everyone glared at me. I turned down the volume, and looked at the notification. There was a text message from an unknown sender. I almost ignored it since I was, you know, breaking into a vampire fortress and all, but satisfying my curiosity was only a thumb-flick away. The text appeared, and my stomach lurched.
I have Felicia. Return to me or she dies. –Maximus
Chapter 22
My heart dropped, bounced off my liver, and gave me a queasy feeling. I almost blurted out Maximus's demand, but one look at Adam's tormented face told me it would be a bad idea. He was already skirting the edge of sanity. I'd been there before and knew how it felt. Pushing him now might be the final straw.
I replied: Don't hurt her! I'll come back!
I hoped my text might give the rogue vampire pause. By the time the Templar surprise attack started, he might not have a chance to hurt her. My phone vibrated. I checked for a response.
You have thirty minutes, spawn.
I responded again and told him I would. Now all I had to do was hope Fausta's plan was brilliant.
Gunfire echoed from ahead, popping and snapping like fireworks.
Fausta motioned us close. "The vamps have two Templar squads pinned down. We'll sneak up behind and take out the attackers."
"How many OPFORs?" Elyssa asked.
"No idea. A hundred or more. They've got the place warded against fly-eyes, so I can't get exact positions."
Adam's lip curled into a snarl. "I'll take care of that." He pulled out his arcphone. Several long seconds passed. "Damn it. Whoever set up these wards knows what they're doing. Looks like there's a magic power source keeping me from overriding it."
Bella's hands, wrapped tight around her staff, eyes closed in concentration nodded. "Maximus has a very powerful source of supernatural power somewhere below us." Her eyes opened. "The wards are barely draining it. I have a terrible feeling there is an Arcane working for them, and whoever it is might have even more in store for us."
"Dash Armstrong," I said. "At least, I think that's his name. It sounds almost too stupid to be a real name."
Adam wrinkled his forehead. "You've got to be kidding me."
"I kid you not. The dude's name really sounds like some kind of action figure from the fifties."
"No, that's not what I meant," Adam said, shaking his head. "Dash is one of the Dream Team from the Arcane Tourney. He studied under Aston Beaumont himself."
"Why does that name seem familiar?"
"Beaumont is the one who lost an arm as payment to Underborn."
My mind flashed back to before I'd ever met the slimy asshat. "Beaumont's the sorcerer who won the tourney every year, right?"
"Yeah, until Folder Reeves came along, and Beaumont had Underborn kill him."
Fausta held up a hand. "Can you stop this Dash Armstrong?"
Adam's eyes blazed with determination. "If he stands between me and Felicia, he's a dead man."
Bella extended her wand and turned in a slow circle before stopping, the tip angled slightly down. "I have the source located." She looked at Adam. "You stay with Fausta. I will take care of the source. Get a fly-eye up the moment I do."
"Why don't we do this the old-fashioned way?" Elyssa said. "And use our eyes. Chasing after that power source might be a waste of time."
"Maybe," Fausta said, a distant look of concentration on her face. "But there are other reasons to take down the wards."
I waved off their arguments. "I'll go with Bella. If we don't have the power source down within fifteen minutes, go ahead with the attack."
"I'll scout around the old-fashioned way," Michael said, his eyes meeting Elyssa's. "We need to know their positions and numbers if this doesn't work."
Fausta narrowed her eyes. Nodded and pointed at the wall. "Okay. Recruit Borathen, it looks like you could climb the wall and keep cover behind the buildings. Use it for a scouting position and tell me what you find." She looked at Michael. "See if you can find our trapped squads. If you can take any attackers out without detection, go for it. Meanwhile, I'll sneak around to the left side of the courtyard