They weren’t afraid; they were smart.
That didn’t help his stomach, which was tied in a knot, or his heart, which was beating a rapid drumbeat in his ears. Can they hear that? Since they hadn’t attacked, he guessed not. He probably wasn’t close enough.
A short distance back, he heard the doors at the top of the stairs open. He had misjudged; the soldiers intended to search the basement first. Boots sounded on the stairs, and the mass on the ceiling shifted, beginning to scatter outward. There was about to be a battle, and Will was right in the middle of where it would happen.
The first three men to enter were normal soldiers, but behind them were two sorcerers. Light spells shot out in two directions, illuminating the area. They weren’t the right sort of light spells to destroy vampires—apparently the Driven hadn’t learned those spells. Until a week ago no one had really believed that vampires existed, and most probably thought they’d never existed. And according to Janice, Ethelgren’s biography had been removed.
How much other information had been deliberately destroyed over the years? If it was a coincidence, it was an awfully convenient one for the vampires. Will doubted it was anything but deliberate, the result of years, decades, perhaps even centuries of planning. And now I’m in a basement where a relic of a legendary vampire hunter is stored, and it just so happens there’s a whole gaggle of the monsters here as well.
It all came together in his head in a flash of clarity. They’d been looking for Ethelgren’s Exhortation. It was possible they’d been here for days, searching through the assorted junk, trying to find one of the last good weapons that might be used against them.
Hell, maybe the curse on the relic was a carefully created fabrication. Maybe the vampires had been selectively killing those who touched it to instill fear. Then again, that’s a little much, thought Will. There’s paranoid and then there’s crazy.
The vampires had scattered and were approaching the basement entrance from all directions. Will prepared to release his illumination spell when something unexpected happened. Both the sorcerers who had created the light spells fell as bolts of blue light speared through their chests.
More soldiers were coming down, and a third sorcerer appeared, stepping over the bodies of his fallen comrades. Seeing what had happened, he lifted his hands and a force-wall appeared in front of him just before more bolts of blue splashed against it.
There was a spellcaster among the vampires. Will released Ethelgren’s Illumination as that thought percolated through his awareness.
As before, the searing white orbs shot outward, raising howls of rage and fury from the vampires as they burned and died, but this time there were a few differences. As the globes moved away and Will opened his eyes slightly, he saw that two of the creatures hadn’t died, and both of them turned their eyes on the source of the brilliance, squinting against the glare.
He began moving sideways, trying to get away from the epicenter, which turned out to be wise. More blue bolts flashed into the area where he had been standing, coming from the hand of one of the two vampires, a tall male with a commanding presence and long, black hair. The one beside it he recognized—it was the child-like female he had met before, Alexa.
They adapted quickly to the bright light, and he could see them tracking his position as he ducked to the side. His point-defense shield appeared several times in rapid succession, blocking more of the deadly blue bolts as the vampire wizard focused on him. The creature’s aim was perfect; any one of the attacks would have nailed him, despite his movement.
The vampire smiled, showing long fangs, then reached up with a piece of cord in his hands and began to casually tie his long hair back. The expression in his eyes said it all. ‘I’m going to enjoy this.’ Will felt a shiver of fear run down his spine. Alexa merely looked at him and smirked, as though she knew he was in over his head. She made no move to attack.
Meanwhile, the soldiers and sorcerers coming down from the floor above weren’t idle. One continued to hold the force-wall, protecting them as they formed up, while several other sorcerers readied spells. The soldiers moved to either side, preparing to guard the flanks when the shield was released.
The lead vampire continued to ignore them, reserving his attention for Will. “Alexa told me about you, but I hardly dared believe her words. Are you real, child? Or have I begun to have delusions after so many years?”
Will didn’t have another illumination spell ready, not that it would have helped. The chameleon spell and unlocking spell would similarly be useless. I’m fucked, he thought. Royally, fucked. So he tried what had worked before, with Alexa. “Alexa is your pet? That means you must be Androv? Is that correct?”
The vampire gaped at him in mock surprise. “How long it has been since I heard that name from mortal lips? Who was your teacher, child?”
Alexa hissed. “Just kill him, my lord. He uses words only to delay.”
Will glanced at her, and his deadly intent found expression. A force-lance blasted forth, only to stop as a point-defense shield appeared in front of the small vampire’s head. Androv smiled graciously, then growled at his subordinate. “Silence, Alexa. Leave the conversation to your betters.” He looked back at Will. “It has been centuries since I’ve encountered a true practitioner of the arcane. I thought they were extinct, among your kind at least. Who was your master?”
“It’s rude to ask questions without offering something in exchange,” countered Will. From behind the vampire, he could see that the sorcerers were finally ready with their planned attack. Keep talking just a little longer, you pompous prick.
The force-wall dropped, and lances of fire flashed forward, followed by four fire elementals. Even before he saw the results, Will knew they wouldn’t be good. Fire? He’s a wizard. Even I could handle that.
Sure enough, the fire-lances faded out as they reached Androv, dribbling away into impotence. The elementals should have been more of a problem, but a force-dome sprang up at the last instant around the vampire. No! It’s two force-domes! realized Will. But that’s impossible. He knew that no caster could have more than one force effect in play at any given moment. Then his eyes spotted the trick.
It wasn’t two force domes; it was a single spell with a complex shape. It was open above and below the vampire, but around him was a circular wall that was more like a tunnel. A cylinder with the elementals trapped inside it.
And he reflex cast that, thought Will. Shit.
“Pardon me for a moment,” said Androv, and then the vampire vanished. Or so Will thought at first. After a second, he realized the monster had simply vaulted over the ring of force, landing in front of the surprised sorcerers and soldiers. One of them managed to raise a force-dome, but it didn’t save them. The ground beneath their feet exploded upward, sending jagged shards of stone through the bodies of everyone inside the dome. The king’s men were dead before they could finish falling.