Dark Curse Page 0,147

It's not as old as those trails and it also goes into that pool."

"How old do you think Razvan's blood trail is, Natalya?" Vikirnoff asked.

She shook her head. "Not very old. A day or two. Just like in that chamber, his blood is congealed, frozen even, but it isn't old."

"Then he's been here recently, which means Xavier has been here. Right under our noses," Nicolas said. "He's been conducting experiments and sending his little microbe army after us this entire time. How could he hide from us?"

"He's had centuries to perfect his methods, and he appears to be sharing them with vampires," Vikirnoff pointed out.

There was a small silence while all around the ice seemed alive, creaking and groaning. Lara looked around her. "The deeper the ice cave, the more unstable the ice, unless guarded by magic. Ice caves never stay the same, not like this one. Water can pour in from a melt above, creating a very strong waterfall, and then a few days later, when it's cold again, that can be completely frozen. And it moves. The walls move on you. You measure them to make certain they aren't closing on you. This ice is very stable in spite of the fact that we are hundreds of feet down. The walls move when he wants them to move. He's been here."

Her lungs burned. She realized she was breathing shallowly. She detested this place and she wanted out.

"Lara," Nicolas said, "can these two other blood trails be your aunts? I do not recognize the scent, other than knowing it is Dragonseeker."

Natalya hurried over, pressing both hands to her chest tightly. "I did not know them. I thought them long dead."

Lara felt sluggish, reluctant to move. "If that's their blood, we should be able to track it back to them. He kept them weak and sick because he was afraid of them, but he wanted their blood and he drained it from them often."

Nicolas whipped his head around to look at her. "Lara! What is wrong with you?" He looked from her to the other two. "Something is wrong. None of us are breathing right."

Lara tried to clear her foggy brain. "A natural hazard. He would use the elements and it would be simple." She lifted her face to look at the ceiling and spray hit her. "Nicolas, we have to get out of here. Warm up your lungs. He's freezing our lungs using the ice crystals. The particles are so tiny and we inhale them."

Nicolas yanked her out of the laboratory and into the next chamber. It was free of the icy spray. Vikirnoff and Natalya followed them out. Nicolas turned to her, his hands pressing on either side of her body, spreading warmth through her lungs and chest. Pins and needles ran along her skin, but the terrible pressure was gone.

"We were lucky," she said. "Ice particles in the lungs can kill you very fast. And suffocation is a lousy way to go." She rubbed Nicolas's arm. "Can you track the blood trail of my aunts?"

"They are above us and toward our left. We go in that direction."

Nicolas took the lead, choosing a wider tunnel leading upward. The ice was banded tightly with white and blue thin stripes. Crackles and grumblings and the ever-present trickling of water were constant companions. The weight of ice and rock pressed down heavily on them. As they hurried, the floor became more and more uneven, as if the earth had pushed chunks of ice upward. They took to the air, skimming over the surface, following the twisting tunnel upward.

Several other galleries opened, but other than glancing inside, the four continued upward. They'd been inside Xavier's lair for sometime: They needed to find Tatijana and Branislava and get out. The shower of ice was constant, small pieces breaking off and raining down on them, so it was necessary to keep a shield above them. As the floor sloped up, icicles began to vibrate. Water dripped faster. One wall began to web into tiny cracks. Water trickled out.

"I detest this place," Vikirnoff said. "We should just get out of here."

Natalya scowled at him. "I'm not going to leave without finding my aunts' bodies. You saw the blood. What if they're still alive?"

Nicolas muttered something foul under his breath. "They are not alive. After all this time, it would be impossible. This is a fool's errand and you are going to get us killed."

Vikirnoff whirled around, baring his teeth. "This was not Natalya's idea.Your lifemate