The Dark Gifts Birthright (22 page)

“Don’t you remember what you just said?”

“I didn’t say anything at all! Angie was
talking about the bucket on her foot, and I was laughing.”

It was Liz’s turn to run. She met Cass and
Angie on their way up the stairs. Cass took her child and ran out
of the house, Angie and Liz followed close behind.

Cass screamed as she ran, “Run! Make portals.
Leave now. Everyone fly, we will find each other later.”

She created a portal and was through in a
flash. The girls barely had time to follow her. Just as they
stepped into the portal, they heard shouting coming from the camp
behind.

Chapter Fourteen

Finding the Lost

As they stepped through the portal, pain
began to register. Both Liz and Angie, fearing for Jenna, had
followed Cass right out into the sunlight. Thankfully, the portal
reopened in a dark, cold place. The chilled air felt like heaven to
their wounded smoldering skin. Cass’ footsteps gradually faded down
the hall in front of them.

“Cass, stop!” Liz called out. But the sound
of running dwindled until it was gone completely.

Angie leaned against the cold stone wall and
gasped for air.

“You okay?” Liz asked.

“I’m getting there. The pain is receding. I’m
glad we just ate.” Angie managed a weak smile.

“Where are we, do you know?”

Angie straightened and looked around. “None
of this looks familiar. It’s not the fortress.”

Liz ran her hand down the icy stone. “It’s
dry and cold. Real cold. We must be underground.”

“Umm Liz, we need to find our fearless
leader.”

“Shhh. Do you hear that?” Liz asked.

Both girls listened quietly. A light
skittering sound could be heard in the distance. They looked at
each other and grimaced.

“Rats,” they said in unison.

“Ewww. I hate rats,” Angie said as her nose
wrinkled.

“What’s that smell?”

Angie closed her eyes and breathed in through
her nose. Her eyes snapped open. “Death,” she whispered.

Their heads began to vibrate with a strange
thrumming sound. The two friends looked at each other in amazement.
Liz grabbed Angie’s arm.
“Do you feel that? I don’t think we are
alone.”

“Of course we’re not, Cass is here too.”
Angie replied.

Liz put her hand up to silence her.
“I
don’t think we should be speaking out loud. Something’s not right
with this place. I don‘t know what it is, but I can feel
this…presence.”

Angie closed her eyes and let her mind
stretch to encompass the surrounding area.
“This isn’t good.
Evil dwells here.”
Eyes wide with fear, she raised her hand and
pointed in the direction Cass' footfalls had taken.
“It’s that
way.”

“
Shit.”

“
We better get moving. We need to find her
before whatever-that-is, does.”

“
I don’t think she's thinking clearly at
this point.”
Liz replied.

“
Liz, whatever it is, it’s neither vampire
nor human.”

“
It feels very...old.”
Liz put her
hand out to stop the girl from further conversation, and with a
quick shake of her head, let Angie know that she shouldn’t
communicate anymore.

They stood silent for a few more seconds,
listening to the sounds around them, trying to locate Cass and
Jenna. Liz was worried about Michael and the others. The shouting
they heard as they entered the portal didn’t make sense to her. She
had no idea if the camp was being attacked or what was happening.
She had to find Cass, or they both would be trapped in this place.
Cautiously, the girls headed down the hall.

The structure seemed enormous. The hall was
so wide seven grown men could walk side by side. Coupled with the
high vaulted ceiling made of large stone blocks, the space seemed
more like a never ending room than a corridor. They passed door
after door, checking a few as they passed. Most were locked, but
some opened into large rooms. They found living quarters and empty
storerooms, all encased in darkness. As they moved further down the
hall, a feeling of dread began to wrap around them.

Several minutes passed before they finally
reached the end and found a spiraling stairwell. They could go up
or down, but they had no clue which direction to go. Liz stretched
out her mind and probed the building around her, feeling out each
space she encountered.

Angie gasped and grabbed Liz’s arm.
“Jenna
says they are in the bottom place. She says someone is with them
and she is afraid. Her mother is not speaking and she cannot enter
her mind.”

“
Down it is then.”

“
I think we’d better hurry.”

The girls bolted down the wide stone
stairwell. There was no sound of their passing. They moved like
ghosts, nearly floating as they ran. As they continued, the stench
that had been faint all those levels above, became over powering.
The presence was stronger down here as well. When they finally
reached the last level, both girls stopped. Liz pulled on Angie’s
sleeve touching her finger to her mouth.

Angie nodded.

A pervading sense of evil blanketed the air.
It moved in waves from the end of the hall. They tiptoed the
remaining steps to an open doorway at the far end of the hall, and
stopped again. The odor was even thicker there, and so pungent they
could almost taste it. Sneaking in, they melted into the
shadows.

A dim flicker came from a small fireplace
across the room, casting eerie shadows that seemed to leap and
dance along the walls. Liz looked around, wishing she had taken the
time to find some sort of weapon. She was an able fighter, but that
did her little good without something to fight with.

Her back to the door, Cass stood
transfixed.

Jenna looked over her mother’s shoulder, eyes
wide, and mouth trembling. The child moved her head ever so
slightly to the left.

Liz craned her neck trying to see around one
of the large columns that blocked her view. It was impossible. She
would have to move to another position to find this new adversary.
Taking a few moments to pull herself together, Liz decided that an
open approach would be a bad idea. Whoever or whatever this was, it
was dominant enough to mesmerize the most powerful vampire she
knew, she would need the element of surprise if she were going to
be able to help Jenna and her mother.

***

Chaos erupted inside the house. The shouting
the girls had heard as they stepped into the portal had been
Michael and the others. But there was no attack, just the shock of
seeing the girls run out the door into the sunlight after Cass.

“That woman is going to get us all killed.”
Michael growled as he paced back and forth across the small
kitchen.

“She hasn’t seemed right since she returned.”
Athena sat stiffly in a chair. Her eyes vacant as she tried to
create a link to Cass.

“The sleeping have awakened. Minerva has her
witches ready to move everyone as soon as needed.” Gregorio leaned
forward placing his hands against the table, watching Athena. “Any
luck?”

“Nothing. Her mind is closed to me.”

Michael kicked at a chair, sending it flying
into a wall. “Damn.”

“Enough.” Gregorio’s voice boomed. “Control
yourself, son. Think with your head not emotion. Where is she? Find
her.”

“I can’t. It’s just darkness. It’s like she
has vanished from the planet,” Michael answered his face red with
embarrassment.

The front door slammed and within seconds a
breathless Callista stood before them. “They are in Slovenia.”

“What?” Michael and Athena asked in
unison.

Gregorio folded his arms across his chest.
“What are they doing there?”

“We have no clue. All that I can tell you for
certain is that Liz and Angie are in Slovenia and a great evil
encompasses them.” Callista shrugged. Walking up to Michael, she
placed her hand on his arm. “It’s ancient. Older than anything we
have encountered before. We need to get to them quickly.”

Michael wanted to leave immediately. Gregorio
would have none of that. There was still the matter of the attack
coming in two days. Jenna had not been wrong yet about her
feelings, and there were too many there that needed to be taken to
safety. Michael was livid. He and Gregorio faced off and argued for
several minutes over it. It was Athena that finally changed
Gregorio’s mind. If they lost Cass to whatever evil this was, the
war against the renegades would be over. There was no winning
without her power.

The group decided that Athena, Michael,
Callista and several heavily-armed vampires would go after them.
The others could stay behind and make the travel preparations.
Which caused another argument. Gregorio didn’t want Athena going
with the rescuers. Stating she was much too important to risk
losing her as well. He ranted and raved for several minutes before
finally deciding to go himself. Michael didn’t want Gregorio going
either, he was needed at the camp. When it was all said and done,
fifteen vampires and three witches had been selected to aid in the
rescue attempt. The missing had been gone for just over an hour
when the portals were opened and the chosen stepped through.

***

The girls managed to slip further into the
great open room without being noticed. The pillars hindering their
view made it easy to move unnoticed. Hidden behind these columns,
quiet as death, they crept between them until they could see their
opponent.

It was difficult to tell if it was male or
female. It appeared to be a great pile of stinking, oozing flesh.
It’s stringy, greasy hair drooped over the rotting pile of tumorous
blubber and hung to the floor. Set into the engorged face was a
saggy mouth and two drooping eyes. In the fire light its’ eyes were
completely black, like great empty windows that had never held
light. They could make out nothing discernibly human about it. A
giant sheet of filthy, tattered, purple satin covered its offensive
body, leaving just the stubs of giant tree-like legs sticking out
at the bottom.

The visible parts of its body were covered in
stench-filled pustules. As it sat there, they would break and pop.
Puss oozed down the body of the massive thing leaving a fresh trail
of goo on the grimy sheet, only to close and fill again. As if the
thing was fighting off some horrid disease, but not quite winning
the battle.

Its eyes remained focused on Cass and Jenna.
Occasionally, the face registered a slight change as if it were in
a mental conversation with them. A great claw-like hand lifted.
Absurdly long talons that might have once been fingers motioned for
Cass to come closer. Her feet stayed planted, but her body swayed
forward as if pulled by strings.

Uncertain how to proceed, Liz‘s eyes darted
from Cass to the monstrosity. Before she could make a decision,
Angie leapt from their hiding place and positioned herself between
Cass and her oppressor. “You cannot have them!” She screamed.

The thing’s face slightly registered surprise
and released its grip on Cass. Lifting its talons again, the
creature made a gurgling noise. The massive blubberous form jiggled
as a screeching unholy sound that might have been laughter, vomited
from its jowls.

Angie's body levitated several feet from the
floor. Helpless and unable to move, she floated.

It spoke with a voice that emulated
fingernails raking a chalkboard, “So they have sent a child to take
down Goliath? You have no idea with whom you are speaking,
child
.” The thing oozed hate and malice. Tongue darting from
its maw, it licked putrid lips with all the feeling of a hungry man
about to feast.

Cass flinched. One hand shot around Jenna
issuing a bright blue flame. She sent it straight into the belly of
the massive thing. When the flame hit, Angie fell, landing with a
sickening crunch as her feet hit the floor. The thing screeched in
rage. Black as pitch, a great darkness exploded from the talons
like a massive spray of oil and smoke. Cass' fire changed shape and
direction becoming a spherical shield between them. Falling to her
knees with the exertion of it, she kept herself, Jenna, and Angie
covered. Angie, injured from the fall, pulled herself across the
floor to Cass' feet, dragging twisted legs behind her.

Liz started as, simultaneously, an arm locked
around her chest and a hand covered her mouth. Her body recognized
the familiar presence and immediately relaxed. Michael loosened his
grip allowing her to turn as he nodded to the other pillars. The
others, weapons ready, waited for their leader to give the order.
Then putting his finger to his mouth, moved away motioning for her
to stay put.

The thing, worn from the use of its
formidable magic, growled and let its arms drop. Cass, still on her
knees, allowed her protective bubble to dissipate as well. The
thing spoke again, “You have grown very powerful daughter”

“You have grown very ugly, Mother,” Cass
replied full of contempt.

Again, the thing laughed and spoke, “Ah, but
it wasn’t so when I was young. When I was young, I was beautiful,
but I was not this powerful. Strength, my pet, is what rules the
world. You could have been so much more than the pitiful thing you
are now. Look at you, standing there holding that disgusting
human
as if it were your own. With all that I have taught
you, you still have not overcome your humanity.”

“You have not one appearance of humanity in
you, Sekhmet. You look alien to anything of this earth; there is no
beauty or joy, only death and decay. Your physical body has finally
taken on the appearance of your soul. What good has all of this
power brought you?”

“What good you ask? What good? Are you
insane? Has living with mortals so completely dulled your mind,
that you cannot comprehend true greatness when you encounter it?
Who can stop me now? Even you cannot resist my call. You will never
leave this place, Hathor. My minions are coming with today’s
delicacies. When they arrive you will be caged and the girl will be
mine.”