the complex of caves for whatever the vampires were frantic to find, he almost believed he had made her up.
Gabrielle managed a grin. “Well, he fits in with our weird family, Joie. I can’t wait to see Mom and Dad’s reaction.”
Jubal touched the weapon on his wrist. “Do you think they can track me with this thing on me?”
“Since we don’t know how to get it off other than to chop off your arm,” Traian said, “we will just have to chance it.”
A deep boom shook the network of caverns. “Go,” Traian ordered. “Through that left chamber.”
He relied solely on instincts now, rushing them through the narrow hallways that opened into one chamber after another, down a maze of halls into another, larger chamber, again filled with the strange lighting system. They ran from one wall to another, examining each, but they all appeared solid.
“There has to be a way out,” Traian said. “Mages are not able to shape-shift or fly. They are nearly as human as you are, only with longer lives and the ability to weave elements together and bend them to their purpose. There must be an opening leading to the surface. Look for something that does not feel right. There will be a hallway leading up to the entrance.”
“It’s here,” Jubal said. “I can feel it.”
“Like the rocks outside the cave. The pattern was all wrong,” Joie said. “Jubal, you’re good at patterns. Find us the opening, and hurry. Jubal’s rather infamous in our family for his mathematical mind,” she told Traian. “He can see a pattern in just about anything. That’s how he makes all his money.”
They could hear scratching, a terrible sound amplified by the acoustics of the cavernous room. Great claws scraping at the earth, digging to get at them. They spread out, walked along the wall, carefully examining every surface. All the while they could hear the vampires tunneling furiously through the mud and ice. The sounds grew louder, closer, and Traian dropped back, facing the wall where the creatures were certain to break through.
“I’ve got it!” Jubal said triumphantly. “We were expecting up, but it’s down. The floor. See the pattern on the floor, Joie?”
“Open it,” Traian said tersely, not looking, his attention centered completely on the far wall.
Jubal studied the squares, pyramids, and starburst patterns of stone beneath the layers of muddy ice. In the center of each symbol were hieroglyphics, pictures carved into each stone. He stepped on various ones, taking his time, choosing each stone carefully, following the pattern he could see laid out before him.
At last a large stone slid aside to reveal steps carved into the ice. Jubal hesitated. “Are you certain this is the way?”
“It has to be the way,” Traian said. “Take your sisters and go.”
Jubal was cautious, shining his light down the narrow staircase. The stairs appeared to be a bridge over a dark, fathomless abyss. “It’s another bridge, Traian. Do I trust it?”
“You have to. It must have been their way out.”
Jubal took a deep breath and stepped onto the first stair, found it solid, and reached back to aid Gabrielle. “Hurry, Joie.”
“Come with us, Traian,” Joie pleaded.
Water gushed in a dark, muddy stream from the side of the wall. Insects poured into the gallery. The wall to Traian’s left collapsed in an oozing pool of dark sludge.
Two hideous creatures flopped onto the floor of the chamber, abominations in the crystal perfection of the room. Gaunt and cadaverous, they were covered in black muck. Baring their jagged, spiked teeth, they stared at Traian from red-rimmed eyes filled with venomous hatred.
Chapter Six
“Gabrielle, run,” Joie urged. Fear clawed at her insides, but she dropped back to protect her sister and brother. “Jubal, go, don’t look back.”
She couldn’t leave Traian. She wouldn’t leave him—not to face hideous monsters on his own. It didn’t matter that he claimed to have hunted vampires all his life, she was incapable of abandoning anyone to face danger alone. And somehow, Traian was connected to her. A part of her blood and bones. Of her heart and soul. She would stand with him.
“Not without you, Joie,” Jubal said. “I mean it. Gabrielle, start down that staircase now.”
“Go with them, Joie,” Traian urged. “It will be easier for me to defend myself without having to worry about your safety.”
Heart beating hard, Joie hesitated just for a moment and then whirled to run after her brother and sister. Guilt settled hard on her shoulders, but arguing when action was called for was