Graced (5 page)

~A Deliberate Entrance~

The sun had started to fal by the time Laura and the rest came upon the entrance to the sanctuary. It was just as she had remembered from before: the forest stopping in a straight edge, then, about twenty feet away, a large ivy-covered rock cliff. Shrubs and vines grew out from there, but they did not reach the forest. And along the face of the cliff was a single dark opening. The vines that had covered it once had been ripped away.

“There it is,” Logan said, pointing to it. “The entrance to the sanctuary.”

“Through there?” Alexander asked.

“Yes,” Logan confirmed. “It’s a long path that leads down, and final y opens up to a large cavern.”

“A single path?” Madison asked. “A narrow, single path? That means that there wil be no avoiding anyone else should the sanctuary be guarded.”

“We can keep watch tonight,” Laura offered. “See if anybody goes in, or comes out.”

Logan coughed. “Although,” he interrupted, “we do not even know if the entrance is open or not.”

“What do you mean?” Laura asked. “The
Vassiz
chasing us broke through after we came in, remember?”

“Right,” Logan said, “but that does not mean that they didn’t bar the way after.”

“You think they would have?”

“If the elders went through the trouble of ordering the tower destroyed, I do not see why they would stop at that. Maybe they wanted al signs of the sanctuary hidden. Making it inaccessible would be a good way of doing so. You remember those other markings right below the entrance to the cavern?” Laura nodded.

“For al we know, the elders may have taken just as harsh an opinion of them. And it would be easier to simply block access to the sanctuary than destroy the entire wal .

“Plus, we don’t even know if the
Vassiz
chasing after us ever got out of the maze,” Logan continued.

“Rafael made it sound as if the twisting corridors went on forever – as if it were possible to wander the stone hal s for generations and stil not come close to getting out.”

“So you think some of them are stil there?” Laura said, and shuddered – but not because of fear. Despite herself, and despite knowing who her pursuers were, she could not wish that fate on anybody. “Al fifty of them?”

“They could very wel be,” Logan said. “And that is before accounting for any other
Vassiz
the elders sent
after
we escaped.”

“So between al that,” Madison said, “where we have to go is essential y a beehive swarming ful of hostile
Vassiz
.”

Laura shot her a crude smile. “Could it get any worse?”

“Yes,” Alexander said gravely, causing everyone’s head to swirl right to him. “It could also very easily be a trap. Madison was right. A single, narrow path to the entrance marks a great spot for an ambush. There were others guarding the mil , after al .”

“The question is,” Logan said, “what are our options now?”

“Wel , the only reason we’re going there is to see if we can find Rafael, right?” Laura thought out loud.

“And if he’s alive – as both Madison and Alexander assume he is – I’m sure he would have steered the
Vassiz
who came in after us into another corner. A perpetual loop, maybe, down in the mazes. He seemed to know the entire layout of the sanctuary, didn’t he? Remember how he picked up on our coming through?” Logan nodded in affirmation. “So our hope rests on two variables: one, if Rafael is alive; and two, if the
Vassiz
who are after us are stil down there.”

“Poor odds for such a big risk,” Logan commented.

“But it’s something we have to do,” Laura countered. “There’s no way for us to move forward unless we find out more about the elders.”

“Wait a minute,” Madison said, thinking, “I know they were chasing after you. But, they haven’t actual y
seen
you, have they?”

“They’ve seen me,” Laura said, confused about Madison’s question. “They know what I look like – the elders showed them in the dream.”

“Yes,” Madison said, “but not since your transformation. And definitely not after your first feeding. You’ve changed since then.”

“Do I look that different?”

“I could hardly recognize you when we found you in the chamber,” Madison offered. “The visual changes that occur fol owing a
Vassiz
’s first feeding are typical y most noticeable. Yours, however, were completely profound.”

“Real y?” Laura brought a hand up to her cheek, feeling her face. It
felt
the same, but then again, she remembered that one time she had been able to glance at herself in a mirror, back in that abandoned barn. She did look different then; more
perfect
than she ever remembered herself being. And if the changes had continued on since then…

“You look the same to me,” Logan said, surprising her when he kissed her forehead lightly, “but maybe you have changed enough to get away without being noticed by others.”

“Besides,” Madison continued, “you and Logan are the only ones the other
Vassiz
are after. For now. Alexander and I should be able to walk right through a pack of
Vassiz
without raising any questions.”

“Are you suggesting…?” Laura began.

“That we go first?” Madison finished her question. “Yes. And while I know how much you dislike us splitting up, it may be a necessity here.”

“Wait a second,” Laura said, final y thinking straight. “What if
Gray
were to go down the tunnel? He could tel me if the way is blocked or not. It would be a natural spot for him – bears hibernate in winter, after al , and live in caves like that. And the advantage is that none of the
Vassiz
would notice him. Besides,”

she said, glancing back at him, “he has proven he can take care of himself.”

“Send Gray in our place?” Alexander mused. “That’s not something I would have suggested myself, but since you bring it up… it may actual y be a good idea.”

“You can get him to do that?” Logan asked.

“Sure,” Laura said. “It seems like the safest option for al of us.”

“Alright then,” Logan shrugged. “If you can do it, we may as wel . When can he go?”

“Right now,” Laura said, and whistled through her teeth. Gray sauntered over. She placed her hand on his back, feeling the warmth of his great body. The connection between her and the bear snapped into being, and their minds were linked as one.

Laura looked over at the entrance to the sanctuary, and made Gray see through her eyes. Then she imagined what she remembered the inside of the cave being like – the little that she could see last time –

and final y the entrance to the cavern, where a source of light shone down through a gap in the ceiling. She gave him a sense of
distance
, too, to let him know how far the opening was once you got through the long tunnel. Final y, she thought of what the cavern itself looked like, with its round wal s and great opening. But she made that last thought waver, as if she were uncertain whether it would stil be like that. She had used the method before to get Gray to understand when he needed to investigate something. Quickly, she felt
affirmation
come back to her. She smiled, and, as a way of saying “thank you,” let him feel
appreciate
back from her. A sense of
contentment
came back in reply, and then Gray set off. Alexander whistled through his teeth. “That’s al it takes? I’ve never actual y seen you do that before.”

“How does it work?” Madison asked. “That is, if you don’t mind answering.”

“Sure,” Laura said. “When I make physical contact with him – whatever it may be – a sort of
link
comes about between our minds. It was difficult to secure, when I first discovered it, but has gotten much easier since then. And through that link, I’m able to sense his thoughts, and send him my own. I think he has some control over it, too, and knows that he can be selective in what he lets me see.”

“But he can’t
speak
with you, can he? I mean, he doesn’t have a language?” Madison asked.

“No,” Laura replied, “but we understand one another nonetheless. It’s more based on… emotions, real y. Emotions that have universal meaning. He knows what I tel him, and I can see whatever he wants to show me through his eyes.”

“Fascinating,” Madison breathed. “Truly impressive. I don’t know if I’ve ever encountered another
Vassiz
with a similar ability.”

“I thought most don’t share their abilities with other?” Laura asked.

“They don’t, but if you spend enough time with one person… wel , you get hints from their behavior about what it might be. More of a guess, real y, but with time and experience you tend to get it right.”

Laura watched as Gray disappeared from view and went into the tunnel. “Shal we go somewhere else?” Laura asked. “There’s no point for us waiting here, and I’m sure Gray wil be able to find us when he comes out no matter where we go. We need to find a place to camp for the night either way.”

“I was thinking it might be more prudent to make camp
inside
the sanctuary,” Logan said, smiling at Laura. Something about his overly-diplomatic tone of voice said there would be no arguing his point. “That is, of course, assuming there is nobody there.”

“That’s a good idea,” Madison offered. “If we get inside tonight, it would mean Rafael could find us faster.”

If he’s still alive
, Laura thought to herself glumly. But to the others, she said, “So just wait here, then?”

“Wait and watch,” Madison replied. “Although it would help to know if anybody has been out here recently.” And before Laura knew what was happening, Madison bolted to the side of the cliff. She pressed her body tightly up against the overgrown rock. Slowly, she started edging herself towards the entrance, crouching low to examine the ground careful y. She got as close as a few feet away, stil crouched and stil careful, before she visibly relaxed and stood up.

“Nobody’s been here for a while,” she announced. “I don’t know about the inside of the cave, but there’s no signs of anybody out here.”

“She can track?” Laura asked Alexander, impressed by Madison’s showing.

“One of the best,” Alexander said fondly. “Even before she was transformed. Back then, you needed to be able to track if you were to survive any length of time outside an urban area.”

Madison jogged up to rejoin the rest of them. “Wel , that eases a lot of my worries about being discovered.” She winked at Laura. “I don’t think Gray should have any problems in there, either.”

Laura agreed. And, she felt her shoulders relax. She didn’t even realize that she was tense – worried about Gray – before. “So now we wait.”

~An Old Acquaintance~

Some time later, once the sun had ful y set, Laura heard Gray approaching them. She knew it was him from the distinct way his paws rustled through the undergrowth of the ground. He had a sort of eloquence that she wouldn’t expect from a creature so large, but he appeared to have mastered his weight wel . In fact, she picked up the noise before anyone else had, and was already standing by the time the others first moved their heads towards it. And, sure enough, only a few seconds later, Gray came into view. The moonlight reflected dazzlingly off his silver mane, giving the impression of a near-perfect halo. He came straight to her, and put his head down for her hand. She reached out and created the connection quickly. She saw the end of the tunnel flash in her mind, and the entire cavern below. It was nearly the same as she remembered, except that bits of rubble partial y blocked the entrance. But as far as she could tel from what Gray was showing here, there was nobody there. None of those uncertain, slippery shapes that were representations of
Vassiz
in Gray’s mind. Just the empty cavern, much the same as before.

“It’s safe,” she announced to the group. “Gray didn’t find anyone there.”

“Great,” Logan said, standing up. “I was getting tired of sitting around here doing nothing. That means we can hurry up and get into the sanctuary.”

“Just because the first cavern is empty,” Alexander warned, “does not mean we should let our guard down. For al we know, there might be other
Vassiz
further down.”

“But we can get down there final y in either case,” Logan said, “and see whether Rafael survived the horde.”

“He did,” Madison said strongly.

“Fine,” Logan answered. “The two of you—” he motioned to Madison and Alexander, “—know him better than I. And I do not doubt his capabilities. I’m just anxious to final y and make some progress towards our objective.”

“As am I,” Laura echoed. “And since Gray did not see anyone down there, it means we can go right now. Shal we?”

Without waiting for an answer, she set out towards the entrance to the sanctuary. She stopped by Gray momentarily. “Wait here,” she told him, “we’l come out the same way.” Briefly, she formed the connection between their minds again to ensure he understood. When she was satisfied he did, she continued forward, trailed by Alexander and Madison and Logan.

When they final y got to the entrance, the four of them stood in a semi-circle just in front.

“Remember last time we were here?” Logan asked, smiling.

“Of course,” Laura said. “You left me outside for what seemed like hours, making me question whether you would ever come back.”

“It made you stronger,” Logan said flirtatiously. “And you’re a better person for it.”

“Thanks for the help,” Laura said dryly.

“If you two are finished jostling,” Alexander said with a wide grin on his face, “now would be a great time to actual y go inside.”

“After you,” Logan said, motioning to Laura. “This time, you can have the honor of taking the lead.”

Laura shot him a stiff frown, but ducked inside. Logan came in after her, and then Madison. Alexander took up the spot at the rear.

They went forward, and quickly were deeper than the reach of moonlight. A feeling of déjà vu greeted Laura in that split second that it took her eyes to adjust to the dark, and she felt like she was walking blindly forward like the first time. Then her eyesight came into place, and she could see the tunnel for the first time. It wasn’t anything worth notice, real y. Rocks like any other surrounded al sides of the path, from the ceiling to the wal s to the floor. The path was cut straight through the rock, and Laura was reminded slightly of exploring the mine outside Nakusp.

The air, however, felt different. As they progressed further into the tunnel, it became more dank – more stifling. Laura didn’t remember noticing it last time, when Logan led her into here, but back then she did not have her increased sense of smel .

On and on they walked, forward into the tunnel. After what seemed like hours, Laura saw the light up ahead that signaled the entrance to the first cavern.

“We’re getting close,” she whispered back, and felt Logan’s hand on her shoulder.

“Let me go ahead of you,” he said, pul ing her to one side as her overstepped her. “Just in case we encounter anything… unpleasant.”

Laura didn’t expect anything of the sort up ahead. Gray had been here, after al , and had relayed to her what he had seen. And besides, if she were the one everyone else – Alexander especial y – expected to be their leader, to be the
destined one
, she couldn’t go about shying away every time there was the risk of a threat. Except that by the time that thought had ful y formed, Logan was already a good twenty paces ahead.

She sighed grumpily ran up to him, and heard Madison and Alexander keep pace behind her. He was already at the end of the tunnel, looking out over the cavern.

Laura stepped beside him, and shared the view. Down below, she saw… exactly the same thing Gray had shown her. Which was to say, she saw exactly the same cavern as she remembered from her first journey here. The only difference, of course, was the better perception her improved vision now afforded her.

The cavern was as large as she remembered it. The tunnel they had just walked along exited onto a narrow edge, which was connected to a series of stairs cut from the rock leading down. Below her, as before, ran the little creek that pooled into a smal pond by the side. And beside the pond were those same crystals that graced the ceiling of the marble chamber where the dream world and the human world intersected. It was a wonder they hadn’t been destroyed.

The same cracks in the ceiling that aided her vision last time were there, except this time, with night outside, they did not provide much light. It made for a more ominous atmosphere, seeing the cavern this way.

The pile of rubble that she had dropped on top of the vampire had been al pushed aside. Or rather, had been
forced through
. It looked as if a great deal of effort had gone into clearing out the entrance, and she did not doubt the time it took. She shivered as she remembered glancing back that one time, stil on the run, and seeing the horde of
Vassiz
fifty-something deep running right after her. That was as terrifying a sight as she had ever seen.

“So this is Rafael’s home,” Alexander mused. Laura jumped – she hadn’t noticed him come up right behind her.

“Yes,” she said after a moment. “This is where we found him.”

“And these pile of rocks,” Logan said, proudly motioning around him, “are the result of Laura’s bravery when she was first here. A bounty hunter came in after us, and he stood…” Logan took a few steps forward, better positioning himself, “…right about here. Above—” Logan pointed up, “—was another ledge, which had become weak over time. Laura crawled up there – stil as a human! – and in the dark, found the weak spot in the ledge that caused it to come crashing down. The elders’ puppet didn’t stand a chance.”

Laura shrugged it off, feeling a little uncomfortable. “It was nothing,” she told them shyly.

“No,” Logan said, walking up to her to grasp her shoulders. “It was
something
. It showed me how strong you were then, and that you were unafraid.” He gazed deeply in her eyes. “It showed me how lucky I was to have found you,” he whispered.

Madison cleared her throat, jerking Laura’s attention away. She smiled apologetical y at her, then spoke. “Come then. I would like to see for myself these engravings on the wal that you spoke of, and we should waste no time after journeying further inside. We wil not find Rafael if we stand idly by.” She pushed through Logan and Laura, and began down the steps. Quickly, Alexander went after her. Logan slipped his hand into Laura’s, and they both went after them.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Laura’s eyes shot to the wal underneath the entrance ledge. The one where she expected to find the symbols on the glowing wal . But now, the river that ran along the wal ’s edge rushed over smashed pieces of rock. And the wal that stood so smooth once before was broken to bits. It was as if large hammers had been taken to it. No trace of the writing that was once there remained.

“Wel then,” Alexander said slowly, fol owing Laura’s eyes. “I take it this was the wal you spoke of?”

“It looks like they’ve taken it upon themselves to destroy any memory of the other tongue,” Logan said slowly. “What else would explain leaving the first tower whole but not the second? And now this?”

“But… why?” Laura asked, feeling both a sense of despair and confusion.

“To extinguish it from memory. And make sure the elders are never troubled by it again.”

“They take it very seriously,” Laura said.

“They must,” Alexander offered. “If they know even a tenth of the prophecy Gabriel e spoke of they would be fools not to. And we cannot take our enemies for fools.”

“That,” a voice from far away announced, “would be as stupid a mistake as you can make.”

Laura’s head whipped towards the voice. It came from far away, where the cavern lead into the deeper tunnels towards the maze. There, a trick of the shadows from the cracks above hid the speaker in darkness. But Laura recognized that cracked, ancient voice immediately. It was Rafael!

Before she knew what she was doing, Laura found herself running towards him. His shape formed before her, and she threw her arms around his neck. She was so relieved to see him! Rafael stood stil , then reciprocated somewhat awkwardly.

“I can’t believe you’re alive!” she exclaimed.

“Yes, wel , I’m not so easy to kil ,” he told her. She heard footsteps behind her, and looked back to see Logan coming up to them. He extended his hand towards Rafael.

“It is good to see you wel .”

Rafael sneered in return. “Of course.” But his act was betrayed when he took Logan’s hand and shook it.

“Madison. Alexander.” Rafael pushed Laura and Logan aside once he recognized them from behind.

“It is good to see you.”

“Good to see you too, brother,” Alexander said, clasping hands in a powerful handshake. Madison came up to place a kiss on either of Rafael’s cheeks. “I knew you were wel ,” she said.

“I trust you have found the archive, then, if you have travel ed back here with these two,” Rafael said, motioning to Logan and Laura.

“More,” Alexander replied. “Much more than we could have ever imagined. There is much we need to discuss.”

“I expect we wil ,” Rafael said. “It is not often I get visitors here, but these past few weeks have been uncharacteristical y busy.”

“What about the other
Vassiz
?” Laura said suddenly. “The ones who chased after us through these tunnels? What happened to them?”

Rafael laughed a cruel laugh. “As I told you then, I had more tricks up my sleeve than you may have believed. The ones who came after you…” he motioned idly with his hand, “…are now lost forever in the deeper maze.”

“Lost…
forever
?”

“Some may stumble on the way out, eventual y, but the maze was designed to keep hostage the unlucky ones who came upon it for generations.” He laughed unkindly. “Their fate was sealed when they came in after you.”

“And… you?” Laura asked. “How did
you
escape them?”

“Girl, the tunnels you know have many secrets, ancient and forgotten. They aided me when I needed it most. But that is neither here nor now. Tel me, you found the archive?”

“Yes,” Alexander nodded. “Although it is not what we thought.”

“What do you mean?”

“A long story,” Madison interjected. “We’d best go somewhere we can sit down.”