Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
Safia slipped away from the beetles and reached for the bats. They hung along the ceiling and down the walls, staying out of the light of the candles. The flames had burned low now, so only the very floor of the cavern could be seen. The stirring on the ceiling sounded like a low fluttering of wings. As if disturbed by the continual scratching and demands at the entrance to the cave, the bats suddenly took to the air, wheeling and dipping, darting at the beetles, all the while calling to the others outside the chamber to come and join the feast. It would be impossible once the safeguards were in place, but Safia knew Aura was about to allow the demons to slip through next. With them, some of the bats might glide through quickly enough before the guardian of the gate would once again close the barrier.
Are you ready for this? Aura asked. We don’t have much time. It won’t be much longer before the vampires decide to target your home.
Vampires could take to the air. So could Aura. That was one thing Safia couldn’t do. There was no flying for her. She could run like a gazelle—fast, faster even for a short amount of time. They would rely on the preparations her family had made. All of them had weapons to fight and destroy the vampires. The weapons had been perfected over the years. Using the various instruments was like second nature to them after practicing with them so many times that they didn’t miss.
You’ve reached out to them to let them know to be ready. That we are under attack. The children are safeguarded—if they stay where they are supposed to.
That was always the worry. This was their first big test. They had stressed over and over to the children that they had to obey orders, that it was life or death. That didn’t always mean a child understood the grave consequences. Seven-year-old Charif, Lunja and Zdan’s son, was his father’s shadow. He was the one Safia was most concerned about. Maybe she should have been tougher with him, stricter with his training.
She shook off her worries. It was too late now. As the underground leader was testing them, they were testing their defenses. She had to concentrate.
Yes, I’ve let Baba know that the vampires will retaliate soon by coming at them. Aura sounded matter of fact. He will direct everyone there. They are prepared. I will allow the demons access when you are ready. Five seconds only, or the vampires will slip through as well.
Safia loved that Aura called her father the affectionate Baba. She loved him the way Safia did. It also meant that Aura felt like part of their family circle. Safia wanted that for her, especially now, when danger surrounded them.
Now then.
Safia stayed in control of her heart rate. She drew a short sword from the inside of her hooded coat. The blade was crafted from the crystals of vanadinite. When one looked at it, the weapon looked harmless, like a child’s toy. The blade appeared beautiful but looked as if it could shatter easily. Made of vanadinite, there seemed every possibility, but it was as hard as any diamond. The weapon had been crafted by her ancestors close to two thousand years ago with the aid of the Carpathian people. The sword reacted only to the one meant to wield it.
From another loop she drew a vial containing water that had been taken from the sacred waterfall. Each weapon she carried on her was placed exactly where she could get to it easily. She’d gone over what she would need, including emergency supplies, in case she was wounded and needed to stop the bleeding fast.
Ready. She was as ready as she would ever be. They could do this in a controlled environment, or they couldn’t do it at all. It wouldn’t take long before their adversary realized they had hijacked her initial strike at them, turning the tables on her and hopefully learning as much about her and her tactics as she did about them.
With the bats flying around the cave, it seemed natural to ease up on the safeguards just for a moment in the walls and underneath them to allow a few more in to clear out the flesh-eating beetles. The general beneath the ground had been waiting for just such a mistake and sent her demons in quickly. They were very small, tiny enough to ease through the slots the bats could fit into.
Claws appeared first, little hands with sharp hooked nails. Heads popped up—red glowing eyes, a wide slashing mouth with jagged, serrated teeth. Instantly, their gazes riveted on Safia as if they were robots and saw only her. Not even one of them glanced toward Aura. They dragged themselves through the narrow openings, coming at her from all sides of the walls and from beneath the ground. At the five-second mark, the openings closed abruptly, slicing anything still emerging in half. Black blood sizzled and bubbled up in a few of the holes. Noxious smoke rose into the air.