vampire. The other is called Shafe. There might be more, so stay very alert.
Well, darn, and here I was expecting I’d take a nap while you did a little cleanup.
Traian worked at keeping a straight face. Even in their desperate situation, Joie could let him know her feelings.
I was worried you might be a little tired and needing a rest. Can you distract them for a moment?
Joie tapped her foot. “If it isn’t the troll brothers. How are you? Just dropped in to be neighborly? I’m so glad you didn’t bother to dress formally. It’s just a small get-together we’re having.”
Deliberately she walked across the stone patterns in the floor, keeping their attention centered on her even as she made certain she was just a bit behind Traian. “We’re in the midst of redecorating. What do you think? Too many crystal balls?” She indicated the largest, nearly a foot tall, resting on a tall pillar of black obsidian. “They’re very valuable. You can see your future in them. This one answers questions and finds objects.” She reached out as if to pat the smooth sphere.
Joie was fully aware that Traian was keeping his body between her and the vampires. The two creatures stood in a swirl of steam and mist, coated in black ooze. The moment she mentioned the spheres, greedy eyes stared at the globe.
Surprisingly, Joie felt warmth along her palm as she positioned it above the crystal ball. The crystal leapt to life at the close proximity of her hand. For a timeless moment, she saw her own face swirling in the mists of the globe, and Traian standing behind her, reaching for her, love etched into the lines of his face, hunger and desire burning in the depths of his eyes. She couldn’t look away from his face, there in the sphere, from the intensity of his love. He couldn’t feel that way about her, could be? He didn’t know her. How could two people be so drawn to one another, recognize love so quickly? His look robbed her of breath, of sanity. She wanted to crawl inside the sphere and be with him for eternity.
Get away from that thing.
Joie blinked, and forced herself to look up. White swirls of mist were filling the cavern, consuming Traian. Consuming her. In the tendrils of fog, something moved—something dark and menacing. She caught a glimpse of another shape in the shadows curled protectively around an object, but she couldn’t make it out with the white mist and gray shadows merging together.
Traian turned slowly toward those gray shadows, his hands down at his sides and slightly outstretched, palms up as if appeasing something—or someone. Behind him, a darker shadow loomed, one with a hideous skull, skin stretched tight, blood-stained teeth and glowing red eyes.
Watch out!
Joie tackled Traian. Her momentum carried them both away from the vampire and close to the outer wall of the cavern. Traian rolled with her, his arms tight around her, taking her through the dense fog. The drops felt wet on their skin, the blanket muffling sound, but still, something moved inside all that white and gray swirling mist.
Very gently, Traian eased her to her feet. Stay very still. Perfectly still, he cautioned.
Joie looked cautiously around her. An array of weapons adorned the nearest alcove. Glittering gems decorated wicked-looking knives and long spears and swords. Here was a virtual treasure trove for Joie. She was drawn to the weapons, yet something held her back, some finely tuned warning system that prompted her to put her hands behind her back and ignore them.
Traian calmly regarded the black shadow that was emerging from the fog in the cavern. “Justice has come, Valenteen,” he said to the master vampire. “A shadow warrior has been awakened and he is seeking our deaths. Do we fight each other?”
Valenteen growled harshly, shaking his head, backing away from the large, smoky creature emerging from the shadows.
Joie twisted her fingers in the back of Traian’s shirt, peeking around him at the thing Traian had identified as a shadow warrior. It was insubstantial, made of ever-moving black and gray smoke. Its eyes glowed an eerie red, not like the bloodshot eyes of the vampires, but fierce flame burning brightly. There was something very noble in the stern face she occasionally caught sight of, as if the shadow was a warrior of old who had long fought for honor.
I wouldn’t mind waking up now. If the vampire is afraid of it, how much trouble are we