Dark Song

16

Get out of there now. Do not follow them. It is what they want. Go up, toward the ceiling. Elisabeta’s voice burst through Ferro’s mind, tormented. Frightened.

We are hunters, Elisabeta. We are here to kill the vampire. In contrast, he remained steady and calm as he streaked with his brethren after the master vampires down the very narrow passageway.

That way is a trap. An ambush. You will not get close to them. Please, kont o sívanak, I would not deceive you in this. I have seen the preparations. You would not escape. All of you must go back to the meeting room and go up to the ceiling. They know you are following and they lead you into a trap.

Ferro felt her heart as if it were that of the wild songbird he always called her, beating out of control. Her warning had been heard by the others merged with him. He believed in his lifemate. So far, she had never steered him wrong. He doubted if her fears for his life would have allowed her to suddenly overcome centuries of submission so that she made up her warning just to force him away from his prey.

Immediately he halted his forward momentum and signaled the others to follow his lead, waiting for Ambrus, Sedrick, Edward and the newly made vampires to pass below them. In their frenzy to run, he was certain whatever had tipped them off would most likely elude them just long enough for the five ancients to get out of the underground lair, if Elisabeta could show them a safe way out.

Do not get caught in the corridor. Once in the meeting room, be very still and do not speak. Hurry, they will close the doors and you will be trapped. There are so many poisonous guards in place at the entrances and exits and along the walls, ceilings and floors of the corridor. Her anxiety showed in the quaver in her voice, but she was very clear in her instructions.

They streaked down the corridor before the last vampire was through the opening, so that when the door slammed shut, they were on one side and the vampires on the other. Back in the circular room, they drifted toward the ceiling, careful not to touch anything. Behind the closed doors, an agonized shriek signaled one of the newly made vampires had been unwary, or not fast enough, and was caught in one of the traps made for anyone pursuing the master vampires.

On the ceiling, toward the left side from Sergey’s chair looking toward the center of the room, there is a root. It looks like a small loop, almost pushed into the dirt. Do not talk to each other if you can help it. Do not expend any energy. There are terrible, vile creatures in that room, and any energy not known to them will now unleash them.

Ferro could still feel her anxiety. She wanted them out of there fast. He knew that once the master vampires realized that whoever had been secreted in their meeting room hadn’t followed them, they would be returning. The ancients weren’t opposed to being outnumbered in a battle, but going up against seven master vampires and a few starving pawns inside a small room fraught with poisonous traps was suicide. More, Ferro didn’t believe that Sergey wouldn’t have other vampires, the ones each master vampire would have to serve and protect them, close by.

The plan was to get information and then separate Sergey from the others and kill him. The last thing they wanted to do was have the slivers of his brothers and Xavier find homes in other master vampires. It might still be doable to kill him, but first they had to get out alive from the lair that had become a trap. Ferro’s woman was going to ensure that happened. He had every faith in her.

The five Carpathian ancients searched the ceiling of the meeting room. It was a large room and there were numerous roots sticking out of the dirt. Some of the roots had fine hairs on them, and even getting close to them in the invisible form they were in sent chills through their molecules. Other roots were twisted and gnarled, graduating from smaller, elongated limbs to thicker ones. Some looped back into the ceiling to disappear out of sight, while others hung down. Looking for that small little loop almost pushed into the dirt was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

The five ancients quartered the area, each taking a section of the left side of the ceiling to search. Benedek found the very small root nearly buried in the dirt. It was a twisted loop of braided wood about two inches thick, marbled in color so that it blended in with the dirt. He stared at it from every angle, sharing the image with the others and with Elisabeta.

That is the correct one. You have to grasp it and pull straight down. Be certain to pull straight and be to one side. There will be a hole you can float through. Do not touch the sides or you will trigger the guardians. The webs are very hungry. Their tentacles are always looking for prey. Movement prompts an immediate response. Noises. Drift through very quietly. When you all have gotten through the door, let it fall back naturally into place.

Thank you, Elisabeta, Ferro said. There was a still fear in her, but she was sticking with him, refusing to give in to panic as she might have those first few risings.

You will be in the forest, Ferro, and the vampires have taken over that section of the forest. Many of the servants sleep beneath the trees. That is why so many of the trees have become diseased. The moment Sergey and the others know you have eluded them, they will send word to cut you off so they can trap you between them. They have alerted the guardians already.

Ferro indicated to Benedek to open the trap door so they could drift through. Cornel will be the one to realize we have escaped their ambush in the corridor.

Cornel or Ambrus. Ambrus is cunning, like a wild animal. Cornel is much like the older Malinov brothers. He develops strategy quickly and is fluid about it. He can change battle plans on the run, Elisabeta answered.

Elisabeta was a wealth of information on their greatest enemies. Ferro waited as first Gary, Petru, Sandu and then Benedek successfully floated through the square hole created for an escape into the forest. He streamed up slowly in mist form. As he passed into the forest, he again felt the oppressive weight of hopelessness settling on him. There seemed to be nothing to breathe but sorrow. Even in the form he had chosen—and it fit with the gray veil covering the trees—that bleak, depressing burden seeped into his pores and found blood and bones where there were none, making it nearly impossible to think.

At once Elisabeta’s cool, soothing breeze was floating through their merged minds, carrying the familiar scent of orange and lime mixed with a hint of Italian bergamot, sandalwood and vetiver. Her presence gently blew the burden of sorrow away, sending it drifting through their minds, allowing it to dissipate so they could see the complicated weave of spells creating the overwhelming melancholy that was another trap to hold unwary victims for the vampires to feast on.

There was no doubt in the ancients’ minds that they could have worked through the spell, but it would have taken time and the master vampires might have been on them, along with their army sleeping beneath the trees, before they had finished working it out.

That spell is the combined work of several master vampires that you feel. Both Dorin and Cornel wove the base of it and the others layered their weaves over the top.

Ferro took the time to study the spell, although he could feel Elisabeta’s anxiety. She wanted them to leave the forest as quickly as possible. The ancient hunters knew that if they could identify the magic being used by each specific vampire, it would give them further insight into that creature and his fighting ability. Did he pay attention to detail? Was he sloppy? Precise? Was he old-school or modern? Did he use a combination of both? Did he find his own magic?

Will you be able to identify the creator of each strand?

Yes. Elisabeta practically hissed it. Ferro, get out of there. He is coming.

All five of the ancients went still. Ferro felt their silent question to him. How did she know that when they didn’t? There was nothing yet in the forest to herald the arrival of the master vampires. No shuddering or even welcoming. Sergey’s spies, the crows and owls, remained somewhat lethargic within the gloom of the gray mist. He didn’t have an answer, but if she was right and the master vampires were already on their way, the ancients couldn’t be caught in the middle of the forest surrounded by an army of vampires. They had to choose their own battleground.

Which way?

They will expect you to go out by the lake. It is closest, and that is the way you had to have come in. He has already alerted his servants to be waiting for you and to search that entire area for any signs of hunters. He does not want to alert his spies in the forest in case you are still inside. That is a break for us. Go north. Move as quickly as you dare without triggering the guardians. They hang from every tree branch. You cannot disturb them.

North meant deeper into the forest. Can we go above the trees?

No. Anxiety rippled through her voice. Sheer terror. Ferro, please, do not try that way. It is cut off to you. All Carpathian hunters take to the sky or go to the ground.

He had to soothe her before they lost her to a panic attack. The forest had become a labyrinth of traps for the unwary hunter. They would have to return with a large faction and remove all snares so any campers wouldn’t be caught.

We are moving to the north, piŋe sarnanak. There is no need to be upset. It was simply a question. You know Sergey’s traps better than any other, and we are grateful that you do. He kept his voice very steady and calm, soothing her as they made their way carefully, following the direction in her mind.

She was very precise, weaving her way through the trees, and the ancients saw immediately there was a pattern to the “back door” escape route set up by the Malinov brothers. Ferro had never really run across it before, but he still recognized it from Zacarias De La Cruz sharing information. The brothers favored a certain flow they could move quickly through when running from hunters. They wound through trees, moving forward ten feet, and then abruptly veered right two feet and backtracked another two before moving forward ten, veering left and backtracking two to move forward ten. They repeated the pattern for several yards and then changed it, varying the forward movement by six feet and one foot left and then one foot right.

Elisabeta guided the ancients through the forest, careful to keep her soothing fragrance moving gently through their minds so their brains were always sharp and clear, free of the heavy burden the master vampires’ spell had woven over the forest. Long webs dangled like Spanish moss from the trees, looking innocent and even beautiful, when in fact, the deadly tentacles waited for any unsuspecting bird, insect, rodent or man to approach too close. Elisabeta showed them how the vampires moved beneath or through each of the webs without disturbing the deadly predators so they didn’t have to slow down as they moved quickly.

Ferro kept their fast movement from displacing the air around them. He ensured the same with his energy, as did the other ancients. Knowing exactly what could trigger the ever-starving webs made it much easier to do the things necessary to speed through the trees. Elisabeta directing their way so they didn’t have to worry about when the pattern was changing increased their ability and would give them an advantage if they made it out of the forest and could double back on those pursuing them. He was careful to keep that thought from his lifemate, knowing it would distress her unnecessarily.

You are at the very edge of the forest. This is where you go up, Ferro, but there is only one way out or in here, unless you can open the path through the webs. If you do that, Sergey will know immediately. There is a thin, scraggly tree between two much larger ones. The trunks of the larger ones are twisted and blackened. You must be extremely careful. Servants sleep beneath them. The roots are tangled and looped above the ground. Look to your right.

He saw the trees. All three were covered completely in the gray webs. The thick threads draped artfully over every branch, and stuck in the sticky centers were decomposing birds, squirrels and various other rodents. There were bones, feathers, leaves and twigs caught in the gray veils as well. Below, on the ground, the root system was blackened and formed cages. Human skulls and bones were strewn inside the twin cages.

I see them, minan piŋe sarnanak.

Without touching the web, go straight up the scrawny tree and out into the sky. Use it like you might go up a chimney. A guideline only. Do not touch a branch, a leaf, a twig. Nothing at all can brush against any of the three trees or those webs. The entrance at the top is small. She sent the image to the five of them, showing the vampires ascending to the sky from the forest floor, moving straight up in mist form, but no more than an arrow of molecules.

Elisabeta’s anxiety was higher than ever in spite of him calling her his little songbird. Normally, the familiarity of his loving name for her kept her very connected and calm, but this last trap had to be very deadly for her to be so filled with terror when they were this close to being free of the forest.

We will take extra care, sívamet. Gary will lead the way out. Sandu, Petru and Benedek will follow. I will bring up the rear. Stay merged with all of us and allow us to see the images so we make no mistakes.

Ferro felt that as long as she was actively aiding them, Elisabeta would keep from succumbing to the mind-numbing panic. The fact that she seemed to know exactly where Sergey was at all times would be extremely helpful. He wanted to know how she knew. He turned that puzzle over and over in his mind. He was merged with her, and yet he hadn’t found anything to signal an alarm, nor had any of the others.

The five ancients couldn’t wait to be out in the open, where they could turn the tables on the master vampires, so smug in their belief that they were safe in their numbers and with their army of servants hidden beneath the forest. They might only be five, but they were ancient hunters, and they had more battle experience than any of the vampires could conceive.

The moment Ferro was in the clear sky, he turned back to streak toward the lake.

How is it we felt overwhelming sorrow when we are ancient hunters and have no emotion, Elisabeta? Sandu asked.

Ferro could almost see his lifemate wringing her hands anxiously. He surrounded her with warmth. You can answer me and I will relay the information, or just answer all of us, piŋe sarnanak, he said gently, more to remind the ancients that she was fighting centuries of submission to Sergey, of never speaking to any being other than the vampire.

He felt her sudden determination. He knew what kind of courage it took for her to answer them, to do what she was doing, defying her captor and leading them through his traps. Others would never know, but he saw into her, knew the horrific details, the cruelties Sergey had put her through over those long centuries.

You do have emotions; they are inside of you. That is why my gift works on you and I can bring you peace for a short while. You cannot tap into those emotions anymore. When you find your lifemate, she provides that pathway and it is once more open to you. That is the simplistic version.

Ferro glanced down at the trees below him. The canopy was covered in those same sticky webs, although these appeared much finer, more fragile, as if they were real spider webs. A Carpathian hunter would not realize they were a deadly, poisonous trap set by master vampires to ensnare him. If he survived the web itself, the vampires would feed on his rich, ancient blood for a long time before the hunter saw death.

How would they know this? They were Carpathian and they lost their emotions. They feel only the rush when they kill or when they hurt others. They can feed off others’ pain, Benedek asked. I know the Malinovs were intelligent, but that seems far too sophisticated for them to figure out. Do you know how they did it?

Ferro already knew the answer. Elisabeta’s compassion for Sergey in the early days had often had her giving him things to contribute that she thought wouldn’t hurt anything or anyone. She was innocent. A child. She had no idea of the depravity or cruelty vampires could conceive.

You were a child, Elisabeta, he reminded. A baby. You had no idea that anything you said to help Sergey when his brothers were shoving him around would result in a poisonous web to capture Carpathian hunters.

And human campers, she added in a small voice. Do not forget them.

We will take this entire trap down, kislány sisar, Petru assured. No one knew that the Malinovs were capable of such horrendous crimes. Their own sister was betrayed, chopped into pieces and strewn across a meadow for the wolves to devour. Instead of hunting the vampires, mage and the weasel of a Carpathian who had conspired against her, they betrayed her even further and turned vampire in some pact, as if that would honor her.

Petru had called Elisabeta “little sister.” He’d struck exactly the right note. Matter-of-fact, not in the least accusing, and giving her a story she couldn’t help but be interested in.

Their poor sister. That’s so awful. I have only vague memories. I cannot hold on to them. She sounded frustrated.

Ferro took up the story. She hadn’t yet realized the five ancients weren’t on their way back to her. Ivory was her name. Draven, the prince’s eldest son, was to inherit the mantle of authority, but the rot of the bloodline was in him. The prince didn’t order him destroyed as he should have. Draven wanted Ivory, although she wasn’t his lifemate. He didn’t care. The prince, thinking to protect her, sent her to Xavier, the high mage, to school. He wasn’t aware that Xavier had his own agenda and was plotting to take down the Carpathian people. Draven, the prince’s own son, entered into a conspiracy with the high mage. In exchange for a Dragonseeker woman, Draven would provide the mage, Xavier would turn over Ivory. Rhiannon had a lifemate. He was killed and she was taken prisoner. Ivory did survive the terrible things done to her. Mother Earth accepted her and, over time, centuries, healed her. She hunted the vampire with a wolf pack and eventually found her lifemate, Razvan. That is another story I will tell you some rising.

Below was the lake, the surface shining a dark silver. The clouds drifted in a lazy pattern, allowing the sliver of a moon to peek out and reflect below on the surface. A slight breeze skipped across the top of the water, creating small waves that lapped gently at the shore, creating an idyllic, inviting scene.

What are you doing? Ferro. He is there. Right there. Waiting for you. The newly made vampires are there. He has leashed them. He knows they are his only warning system. You have to leave before they sense you.

Ferro and the other ancients stilled, not moving at all. They had no idea how close they were to Sergey’s newest pawns.

How do they sense us?

A small sob escaped. You have to come back. Just come back.

He poured steel into his voice. Elisabeta. I need you to help me. Tell us how they know when hunters are near. Answer me at once.

There was a moment he didn’t think she could overcome her terror, not even when he fell back on giving her a command. He resisted sending her waves of reassurance, which was what he found he needed to do more than anything else, but it wasn’t what she needed. Gary, Sandu, Petru and Benedek were merged with them, and she would forever view a panic attack as cowardice if they saw.

The psychic males, when they are newly made, pool gifts when they are close to one another. It happens when they first emerge. That allows them to be far more sensitive to any other with energy such as yours. You are using a different form, and that form produces an altered power source no matter how dim. Together, they can feel it.

Are the master vampires aware of this phenomenon? Ferro asked before any of the others could. He used his gentlest voice to make certain she knew he was not accusing her of anything.

There was no way any of the vampires, no matter how intelligent, could have guessed that. Cornel hadn’t known; he’d silenced the whining vampires. It had been Ambrus who had eventually paid attention to the continual moaning of the newly made pawns, and even he had taken time to work out that a possible threat was close. Elisabeta had said Ambrus was like a wild animal, and that went along with the way he had puzzled out the strange communication.

No, they have no idea.

Not even Ambrus?

He knew eventually something was in the room with them but not what, only that the newly made vampires were uncomfortable and feeling alarmed. He is animal enough that he acted on that warning.

So, they are uncertain that hunters have followed them.

Elisabeta was silent for a moment. Ferro was patient. He tried to follow her wherever she went, but as far as he could tell, she simply went blank, disappearing into her own mind, a refuge she’d retreated to over the centuries when Sergey’s cruelties were too difficult to bear. As he attempted to follow her, he was aware that Gary silently attempted the same thing, even though he was on a different path. Elisabeta had shut him out, closing every pathway almost automatically, as she must have done when Sergey tried to get into her mind.

Cornel and Dorin urge caution. Sergey is angry that Ambrus disturbed him from his lair when clearly there was no threat. Cornel wants to wait before leaving to go to the lair beneath the city, and when they go, he wants their servants to go with them to protect Sergey.

Ferro sighed. She clearly hadn’t retreated. She had a way of reaching Sergey and getting into his mind. He didn’t understand how it was that he, as her lifemate, couldn’t find that path and follow her.

Does Cornel believe Sergey can really lead them?

No. He does not care who leads as long as he can direct the leader, at least that is my impression of him. I cannot always read his thoughts.

That was a revelation. Elisabeta, you never have said you can read thoughts.

She was silent for a moment. Did I do something wrong? You read thoughts. I did not realize I would be doing anything wrong.

You did nothing wrong. If I scan someone’s mind or take their blood and force them to take mine to tie us together, then I can read their mind. The way you do it appears to be something very different. His lifemate was truly extraordinary and she didn’t even realize it.

I spent centuries watching these vampires. Every expression. The way they move. The things they say. Eventually, I knew the way they think. That allowed me more and more to read their minds, I suppose.

Ferro could feel the restless buildup of tension emanating from a small grove of trees independent of the forest about sixty yards from where the five ancients had stopped moving.

Sergey grows impatient, doesn’t he? he asked Elisabeta.

Yes, he is insisting they leave to head for the lair in the city. He does not want to wait for the lesser vampires’ servants. He does not like to wait, he never has. He feels it makes him look small. He says clearly there are no hunters close. He is insisting Sedrick and Edward go out in plain sight, walking beside the lake. They are to take to the air and see if that draws anyone out. If it does not, he will send the whining, simpering newly made vampires next. I am quoting him.

Elisabeta clearly didn’t want the ancients to think she would refer to the victims in such an uncompassionate way. Ferro sometimes found himself swamped with love for her at the most unexpected times. She was incredible, guiding the hunters through the traps and now waiting with them to see what Sergey would do. At the compound, she had Julija and Lorraine with her, shielding her from so many curious eyes watching her.

You must be very careful that the newly made vampires do not come in your direction, Ferro. If they alert, Ambrus will know you are close whether or not Sergey believes it. He will call all the servants out, and it is an army of them. They will be hungry and the five of you are ancient. Your blood is the most prized of all.

They were all very aware of the truth of what she was saying. We will go higher, into the clouds, drifting slowly so there will be nothing to trigger an alarm. Elisabeta, I am counting on you to let us know if there is the least concern. We will stop moving if you warn us.

Ferro again wanted to give her a task so she wouldn’t panic. He knew any movement near seven master vampires was extremely dangerous. Elisabeta had spent centuries around them. She would know that just as well as all five hunters. The five ancients began their ascent just as Sedrick and Edward emerged from the small grove of trees. Edward hung back a little on the pretense of adjusting his clothing to make certain he looked fresh and clean.

Sergey is very fed up with Edward. He wants Cornel to discipline him. He has noticed that Edward takes the lion’s share of all victims’ blood and runs from a fight. Cornel agrees with him and said he has waited for Sergey to give him the go-ahead. He has something special planned for Edward to learn his lesson.

The effort to keep Ferro and the others informed was taking a toll on Elisabeta. He could feel her worry that she might make a mistake and they would pay the price. She paid strict attention to the vampires now, staying more and more in the place of retreat in her mind where Ferro couldn’t follow. The situation was suddenly very unsettling to him. He found he didn’t like her being there. He wasn’t certain if she was safe or not. He had no way of knowing, and there, in the middle of danger, he couldn’t ask her.

Piŋe sarnanak, it is more important that you stay safe for me than for us to have this information. If you are not safe, retreat now and stay in the compound. We will do what we always do and I will come back to you when I am finished. That is a command. His heart ached. His soul ached. She had to obey him in this one thing. This could not be the time for his little songbird to decide it was time to fly from her cage and soar free.

Why would you think I am not safe? Julija and Lorraine are with me. I am merely getting information for you.

Does Sergey have a way of detecting your presence? If he had a heartbeat in his present form, it would be accelerating so fast it might burst in his chest.

Not unless I want him to know.

The relief was tremendous. We definitely do not want him to know. Ferro was adamant on the subject.

The two master vampires, Sedrick and Edward, took to the air and were gone without interference. Only the sound of the waves could be heard lapping at the shores of the lake.

They are sending out the newly made vampires. Are you high enough that they cannot detect you?

Ferro hoped so, but they had no way of knowing what the range was.

Do not move, Elisabeta warned, her voice tight. None of you.

Below them, coming out of the forest from various directions, looking like gray, shadowy wolves, the newly made vampires emerged, slinking apprehensively on hands and knees or bellies. There were only six left and they were quite a distance from one another, something Ferro hoped would help raise the odds in their favor. Each crawled or dragged itself to the lake and then stood, stumbling as if drunk. One raised his head a few times, looking skyward, but the clouds continued to drift and he shook his head as darkness engulfed him and twice he went to his knees.

They were more bait for the hunters, but Ferro thought it was a little insulting that Sergey and the other master vampires would think such easy victims would draw them out when Sedrick and Edward hadn’t managed to do so. Now the newly made vampires were trying to take to the air, running and leaping, falling flat on their faces. They were human, not Carpathian, and they had no idea how to fly. No one had ever shown them. They’d woken starving, disoriented and mostly terrified, a condition the master vampires would enjoy to the fullest for as long as they could.

Ferro, Gary, Sandu, Petru and Benedek watched impassively the terrible spectacle below, but all of them could feel Elisabeta’s silent weeping. Her compassionate nature couldn’t stand the horror of what these oncehuman men were going through. It had been their choice, through greed, to join with Sergey, but she wouldn’t think or care about that; she would only see their suffering. He felt the rise of her need to aid them, to soothe and comfort them, that giving nature, her gift that she sometimes felt was a curse—as it was at that moment.

Do not, Elisabeta. That is a command. If you must break our merge to hold back aid to them, then do so now. Ferro detested that he had to use what to him amounted to the same tactics that Sergey had for all those centuries, taking Elisabeta’s free will from her.

He had always thought he would be the kind of lifemate who would want his woman under his command, but the more he saw what that kind of life of total submission had done to Elisabeta’s true nature, the more he knew he didn’t want that. Not for her. She was beautiful inside and out, whether she knew it or not. She was strong and powerful. She was gentle and compassionate. She was intelligent. She was a partner. He wanted that. Yes, he wanted, even needed, to stand in front of her and protect her—he would always be that kind of man—but he would never want to suppress her true nature.

An extremely large owl flew from the grove of trees, talons extended, digging into the back of one of the vampires as he fell over. The vampire was lifted into the air, kicking and screaming. The others, on the ground, lifted their heads to look as the owl took their companion over the lake and dropped him into the very center, where he sank beneath the murky waters like a stone. He might drown, but he wouldn’t die. Vampires didn’t die, not like that.

There was a distinct snicker coming from the grove of trees, and a rustle of leaves told Ferro one of the master vampires—it sounded like Addler Astor—was hidden in the trunk of the tree right on the very edge of the grove. The owl wheeled in the air and dove at another of the cowering vampires now desperately trying to take to the air, their only way to keep from being targeted for amusement by the master vampires.

Cornel is disgusted and wants Sergey to put a stop to this. He says it will prevent the hunters from coming in to take the bait.

Cornel knew no hunter would believe that, in chasing master vampires, they would accidentally stumble across such newly made vampires unable to fend for themselves.

He and Dorin insist they call some of their servants to escort Sergey and the rest of them to the lair beneath the city so Cornel can use the computers to see what went wrong. Sergey is ignoring him, but that is what he does when he gets stubborn. It is Addler who has one of his servants playing with the newly made vampires. He does things like that to incur favor with Sergey. Sergey can be very cruel, and he enjoys cruelty and even admires it in others. Addler knows that and feeds that vile streak in Sergey as often as he can.

The vampires scrambled in all directions, looking up at the sky, watching for the owl as it dropped out of the darkness, having already selected its next victim. Addler’s high-pitched giggle gave his position away. He was definitely the master vampire hidden within the tree trunk at the very edge of the grove.

Do you know Sergey’s exact location, Elisabeta? It suddenly occurred to Ferro to ask. She had known where he was going and pointed the ancients in the right direction.

There is a tree, a large one in the center between five others. Addler is directly in front of him, although Sergey is higher, so he has good visibility of the lake and the surrounding area. Cornel is to the right. Dorin to the left. Directly behind him is Ambrus. Do not ever make the mistake of discounting Ambrus.

Each time Elisabeta mentioned Ambrus, Ferro not only could hear but could feel her nervousness. That told him that, although she admired Cornel, and Dorin’s intelligence, Ambrus had a cunning in battle that was frightening to her.

The owl approached again in attack formation; razor-sharp talons extended as it came straight at the vampire standing awkwardly frozen, motionless onshore. The mouth of the newly made vampire was open wide as he screamed, but he still didn’t move. The other vampires dove for cover, although one did manage to make it into the air. He took off into the night, triumphant, presumably following the coordinates placed in his head by one of the master vampires.

The owl struck the frozen vampire hard, knocking him to the ground, ripping the flesh from the bone, shredding his face from eye to chin, removing it completely.

Elisabeta made a single sound of pain and sorrow. Before Ferro could order her to leave him so she would not continue to see the cruelty the vampires were displaying toward their newly made brethren, she began reporting the conversation between Sergey and Cornel. Her voice was tight and dripped with tears, but she held herself together.

Cornel is arguing for a compromise. He wants Sergey to allow each of the master vampires to bring seven to ten servants with them.

Seven to ten? There were seven master vampires if one counted Sedrick and Edward. If they weren’t bringing all of their servants, that meant the Carpathians were outnumbered by far more than they had counted on. The Malinov brothers had planned their coup for centuries. They’d had a tremendous amount of time to find a way to get other vampires to follow them. No one had ever thought it possible.

They will call some to go with them, but not all, because they do not want a bloodbath in the city. That would draw too much unwanted attention. Cornel still wants to draw Josef to the underground club using a woman he would be attracted to. At that time, he would bring more servants to feast.

Ferro had wanted to kill Sergey. That had been his primary mission. Now, for the safety of the Carpathian people, as well as the humans who had thrown their lot in with Tariq and were helping to guard the children and even the Carpathians, the ancients had no real choice but to get the information back to the compound. With Sergey and the other master vampires traveling with such a large army, they wouldn’t be able to attack without the vampires becoming aware that they had overheard their plans and even knew their numbers. It went against the ancient hunters’ code to leave the master vampires without killing a single one of them. It was almost painful to let them go.

Ferro studied the exodus of vampires, the way each of the master vampires and his servants left the forest. Ambrus was the last to leave and he kept circling above the twisted trees with their dank, gray netting of poisonous webs. He showed the suspicion of a wild animal. At one point he even put his nose to the ground and sniffed and had his servants do the same. Eventually, he gave up and took to the air, heading in the same direction as the others.

He will come back. Do not move, Elisabeta warned.

Ambrus returned a few minutes later, swooping out of the sky and dropping low to examine the earth again. He quartered the area, using his heightened sense of smell. Finally, satisfied, he followed the others.

You cannot clean up the forest or clean out the lair yet, Elisabeta cautioned. Not if you do not want them to know you have been there.

That was also a blow to Ferro, but the safety of the compound had to come first.