Christine Feehan - Dark Curse 19

Lara glanced over her shoulder and saw that the warriors had finally come to a halt. Perhaps the holding spell Natalya had cast had finally taken, or they were guardians of a specific area and could not go any

farther.

«They aren't following us,» she announced.

The others stopped to look back. The warriors had halted at the entrance to the tube and stood, smoke whirling around them, swords raised.

«Keep moving,» Nicolas said, his hand on the small of Lara's back. «Who is to say they will not attack again? Let's keep going, but look for a corridor leading to our left and we can take that and get back on track to find your aunts.»

Lara checked the ice surrounding them. Even a few degrees difference in temperature could trigger large chunks of ice to come flying out of or off of the wall. This tube was narrower than most and lined heavily with rows of dagger-sharp icicles. On either side of them, above and below, were two solid rows of icy stilettos in strange colors of faded brown, very unusual for an ice cave. The floor was covered in round ice pods, also very unusual. The slightly raised bumps were everywhere, as if some strange form of bacteria grew along the floor of the tunnel.

As they continued, it grew darker and she realized the ice spiders were not emerging from the walls to light the way with their luminescent silk. The floor curved upward and with each step there were more of the pods and the temperature increased.

«Stop.» Lara took a careful look around.

She had good night vision, but the Carpathians could see in the dark without any light and it looked as if a few more steps would take them over the slight rise and into pitch blackness. Before she went blind and had to rely on the others, she wanted to check out the stability of the ice. She noted two particularly sharpened, curved icicles-one on either side of them near the opening-were dripping. Each drop was yellowish in color and formed a small pool before running along the base of the icicles on the floor. The liquid fed the small ice pods, slowly staining them a pale amber. As the pods went amber, she detected movement, tiny microbes wriggling inside the pods.

She swore under her breath. «This isn't good.»

Nicolas had continued forward a few steps in order to put the light far enough behind him for his night vision to kick in. At the top of the slope he peered down into the darkened tunnel.

«The sounds are different,» Natalya said. «I don't like this.»

Vikirnoff moved up beside Nicolas, surveying the only way open to them. «What do you think?» Both scanned all around them continuously.

«Something is down there waiting for us,» Nicolas said. «It is unfamiliar to me, but I feel movement. I think the shadow warriors herded us into this tube for a reason and the reason is crouched in the dark, ready to attack.»

Vikirnoff glanced over his shoulder. The shadow warriors had not melted away. They were holding their position and waiting for something.

Lara crouched down beside the pods, studying them carefully and then, careful not to step on them, examined the double rows of brownish icicles. She passed her palm over the formations without touching

them. «These icicles are swarming with bacteria, but that's not why they're such an odd color.» She leaned closer and sniffed delicately. «This is diluted blood. At least I think it is.»

«Whatever is moving down there is coming this way,» Nicolas warned.

For the first time since entering the cave, he felt truly trapped. Whatever was creeping toward them out of the dark, sounded, to his ears, as if it was not alone. His vision cleared as the thing got closer and at first he thought it was several large snakes, thick like anacondas. The heads were large and each opened its mouth wide, forked tongue testing the air, sniffing for prey. The snake heads looked suspiciously like the ones taken from Terry's leg.

«How many?» Vikirnoff asked. «I'm counting six visually, but hearing more behind them.»

«It's only one,» Nicolas corrected. «One with tentacles. I think it's planning on dragging us into its mouth.»

«We are already in its mouth,» Lara said.

There was a small silence while they all looked around the tube. The double rows of bloodstained icicles were teeth. The two curved teeth held venom. The mouth was a breeding ground for bacteria, all kinds of strains, many fatal. The bumps along the tongue were the nesting pods. And the tentacles reaching for them would pull them back where they could be digested.

«Vikirnoff and I will hold the tentacles back, but we have to get out of here. Find a way through the shadow warriors, Lara. You're mage.»

She rolled her eyes. «Whatever happened to your women-not-fighting campaign?»

«No, we just have to fight a legion of shadow warriors,» Natalya said sarcastically. «No biggie.»

«You've done it before,» Vikirnoff pointed out. «I think you can handle it.»

«Are you certain you don't want to impregnate me and send me home while you play Superman? Because I'm all for it,» Natalya said.

«The snake heads have stopped sniffing and they're coming for us,» Nicolas said. «You might want to get on those shadow warriors right now.»

«As my absolute hero inThe Abyss would say, 'Keep your pantyhose on.' « Natalya sniffed indignantly. «Come on, Lara, let's show them how to fight a shadow warrior.»

Lara reluctantly followed her aunt back toward the double rows of teeth. «Be careful, don't step on the pods. I think this is parasite breeding ground, not the microbes. I'm fairly certain that laboratory was for the extremophiles. He collects them from the ice and tests them in the first few pools, mutates them and sends them into the blood and amniotic fluids so they learn to survive in those conditions. And then he lets the glacier take them down to the soil where the Carpathians rest. This thing, whatever it is, breeds his parasites. Look at them wiggling inside the pods.» She was very suspicious that the yellow-colored venom feeding the pods was the same liquid injected into Razvan.

«Oh dear,» Natalya quipped. «I do believe we re inside mommy dearest.»

The tiny maggots became excited, even agitated when they stepped close to the pods.

Behind them, the first attack came. Nicolas and Vikirnoff fashioned swords of ice, spreading out to give themselves room to maneuver, hovering inches from the floor in order to keep from stepping on the pods littered all over what had to be the creatures tongue. The huge heads bobbed and ducked, slashing from side to side. The attack was well-coordinated, the heads moving in a mesmerizing pattern, like a cobra hypnotizing its prey.

Both women steadied themselves and picked their way through the maze of bumps to stand just in back of the bacteria-encrusted teeth. There were flashes of light, swearing, a spatter of blood along the walls that sent the parasitic worms into a frenzy. The floor swayed and bucked beneath their feet. More venom dripped from the fangs and ran down along the floor.

«Remind me to call down the lightning to make certain we're clean before we go back to the village,» Natalya said.

Lara was grateful Natalya thought they'd actually get out of the ice cave alive.

«Look out, Vikirnoff,» Nicolas shouted. He'd severed a head and blood filled with parasites spewed across the walls and floors. «Do not let them touch you. Lara, Natalya, keep out of their way.»

Lara sent a scowl over her shoulder. «Were concentrating here. Do you think this is easy?»

«We can't kill them, they're already dead,» Natalya said, thinking aloud. «We can't freeze them, they came out of the ice.»

«We should be able to get their attention and wrestle the command away from Xavier. His way is always simplicity. He rips their soul from them and takes command, much like he did to my father,» Lara mused. «So there's no loyalty there. They're enslaved against their will.»