Pure (Book 1, Pure Series) (44 page)

           
"Yes.
 
I have the Leshi now, too.
 
He's frozen with ashes from the Pure Woods."

           
"I'm the one who brought the Leshi here," Odette interjected.
 
"Just minutes before I came home.
 
I had to get Annushka out of the house.
 
Now when you go missing, I'll get to have her all to myself."

           
"Welcome to my surprise ball, Katie," Timofei said.
 
"Do you know what the occasion is?
 
I'm celebrating freeing my father and getting rid of you – the Little Sun."

           
I was holding onto William's arm, and I could feel the tension in his muscles.
 
I could tell he was waiting for something.
 
He was like an animal preparing to spring.

           
"You've already met, I know," Timofei said.
 
"But allow me to formally introduce my father, Gleb Mstislav."

           
Timofei began to whisper.
 
Just beyond him I could see the dark entranceway that led back into the tunnel.
 
A greater darkness detached itself from the shadows and moved into the chamber.

           
Shrouded in a hood and surrounded by swirling black smoke was an immensely tall figure.
 
The figure raised its head and pulled the hood off.
 
It was Gleb, but he was many times larger than he had been before, so much so that he had had to stoop in the tunnel.
 
His face was huge – horrible, bloated, and white.
 
His eyes were lit by an eerie and malevolent green flame, and the sickly scent of the grave clung to him.
 
His enormous hands had rust-colored stains under the gray nails.
 
I had a terrible feeling that the stains were blood.
 
Gleb was like a nightmare that had broken through into reality.

           
I heard a gasp, and I turned.
 
Odette was staring at Gleb with a look of pure horror on her face.
 
Clearly, Timofei's father was not what she had expected.

           
"My father has been on a strict diet lately," Timofei said.
 
"It was necessary for me to keep him under control.
 
But last night I let him feed as much as he wanted.
 
Now he is much stronger, much more powerful – as this young man here discovered when he confronted us."

           
Gleb's eyes oriented on me, and I could see hatred burning in them.

           
"Since I couldn't let my father snack on your friends back in Elspeth's Grove, Katie," Timofei continued, "I brought them all here and saved them till tonight, so my father could feast on all of you together.
 
Odette, break these boards down.
 
I want you all to see my prisoners."

           
I turned again to look at Odette.
 
She was staring fixedly at Gleb.

           
"Odette!" Timofei shouted.
 
"The boards!"

           
Odette's eyes shifted to him.
 
She was petrified of the hulking creature at Timofei's side.
 
She didn't move.

           
"I'll do it myself," he said in disgust.

           
He picked up a hammer and pried the nails out of the corners of the boards.
 
The nails and the boards rattled down behind the bars.
 
I could see a familiar face peering out at me.

           
"James?" I said.

           
"Katie!" he shouted.
 
"You all have to get out of here.
 
This guy is crazy."

           
On the other side, Timofei pried the boards away from two other alcoves to reveal Irina and what I assumed was the real Aleksandr.
 
I could see the Leshi standing in a corner, unmoving, staring straight ahead.
 
He was covered with a soot that I assumed was ashes from his trees.

           
Timofei whispered something to Gleb.
 
With terrifying speed, Gleb leaped toward me.

           
William jumped out in front of me to meet him.
 
The two of them slammed into one another.
 
Gleb wrapped his massive arms around William and lifted him bodily off the ground.
 
William cried out and pushed against Gleb's grip.

           
Gleb was trying to crush him.

           
William managed to break free, but Gleb caught him again and threw him against a far wall.

           
Gleb then turned to me once more.
 
William ran at him and knocked him down.
 
Soon Gleb was crushing him once again.

           
I had to do something – William was going to be killed.

           
I ran toward the tunnel that led back toward the monastery.
 
I was going to get the clear fire.
 
But I was forced to stop short.

           
Odette still stood in the entrance, barring the way.

           
Seeing me seemed to shake her out of her stupor.
 
She looked at me, drew in a deep breath, and let it out raggedly.
 
There was a strange, mute appeal in her eyes.

           
"Odette," I said.
 
"I saw your face when Gleb came in.
 
This isn't what you wanted, is it?
 
Not really."

           
Odette winced.

           
"Odette," I said, "let me go.
 
Let me get the clear fire and use it to stop Gleb.
 
He's a killer, and he'll kill you, too."

           
Odette's face twisted into a snarl.
 
I stumbled backward, terrified.

           
Someone grabbed me by my hair and wrenched my neck painfully.

           
"You're not going anywhere," growled a voice.

           
I twisted my head.
 
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Timofei was the one who held me.

           
Panic welled up within me.
 
It looked like he was going to kill me.

           
With a suddenness that knocked the breath out of my body, I was thrown to the side.
 
I twisted around to see Odette grabbing Timofei by the throat and hurling him against a wall.
 
Then she turned toward me, grabbed me by the wrist, and dragged me into the tunnel.
 
Odette's fingers were icy and her grip was like iron.
 
All around me was darkness.
 
We hurtled along the tunnel at an inhuman pace, moving so fast that my feet actually left the ground.
 
I threw my arm across my eyes – I had a sudden fear that I might collide with something in the dark.

           
Odette burst through the panel that led into the monastery, somehow miraculously avoiding the stone wall that surrounded it.
 
We tore through the monastery, and we were soon amongst the spectral trees of the Pure Woods.

           
Odette released me at the stone ring.
 
I fell to the ground, and she stood staring at me, her eyes blazing.

           
I scrambled into the stone ring and closed my eyes.
 
I began to sing.
 
I concentrated with everything I had in me on finding the clear fire.
 
I felt the spark ignite somewhere inside and spread outward.
 
Then I felt bright light on my face.
 
I opened my eyes and saw the clear fire floating before me.

           
"Oh, Odette, thank you," I breathed.
 
"Now, we have a chance—"

           
I looked around.
 
"Odette?"

           
The stone circle and the forest around me were empty.

           
Odette had gone.

           
I hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do next.
 
I really knew nothing about the clear fire or how to use it.
 
I didn't even know how to take it with me.

           
I stared at the clear fire and willed it to move.
 
I held out my hand with the palm up, and the clear fire came to rest just above it.
 
I continued to concentrate on the clear fire, and I took a few steps forward.
 
I was relieved to see that the clear fire moved with me, hovering over my palm.

           
I placed my other palm out as if I were trying to support something fragile.
 
Then I stepped out of the stone ring, still concentrating.
 
I moved forward more quickly.
 
The clear fire continued to move with me.

           
I began to run through the forest back toward the monastery, keeping an eye on both the clear fire and the trees.
 
Now, I only hoped that I could reach William in time.

           
My run through the Pure Woods seemed to last forever, but eventually, I did reach the monastery, and I hurried through its empty halls to the chapel.
 
Then I plunged into the dark tunnel with the clear fire.

           
As I rushed along the tunnel, I thought of William.
 
What if I was too late?
 
What if I couldn't do anything with the clear fire to help him?

           
I forced myself to stop thinking thoughts like that and continued to run through tunnel.

           
Just I was thinking in a panic that by some supernatural agent the tunnel might somehow turn out to be endless, I reached the point at which the tunnel split into two, and I ran into the right branch.

           
Before long, I found myself in the chamber where Timofei and Gleb had attacked us.
 
The sight that met my eyes when I entered froze my blood.
 
Timofei was whispering, and black smoke was whirling around Gleb furiously.
 
Gleb had his massive foot on William's neck and was bearing down with all his considerable weight.
 
William was holding Gleb's foot with both his hands and pushing back, but it was obvious that he wouldn't last much longer.

           
"Gleb!" I screamed.
 
What was it the vampire Innokenti had said?
 
I needed to make the clear fire brighter to drive the evil creature back.

           
I rushed forward and concentrated every particle of emotion and will I had into the clear fire.
 
I ordered it to attack Gleb.

           
The clear fire began to burn even more brightly, and it soared toward Gleb.
 
I could see his strange eyes of green flame turn toward the sphere.
 
A strangled growl escaped from him, and he stumbled backward heavily.
 
William staggered to his feet.

           
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement.
 
I turned my head to see Timofei rushing toward me.
 
I couldn't move, and I couldn't hold him off with the clear fire.
 
I braced for whatever he would do.

           
Instead, William was there in an instant.
 
He caught Timofei and threw him far.
 
Timofei hit the stone corner of the entrance to the tunnel, and there was a horrible crack.
 
Timofei fell to the ground and lay still.

           
Gleb continued to growl and gurgle.
 
His eyes were trained on me.
 
He prowled around at the edges of the clear fire's aura, trying to get around it.

           
I tried to infuse the clear fire with more power, but I didn't seem to have much more left within me.

           
William surged forward and grappled with Gleb.
 
Eventually, he wrapped his arms around the creature and began to push him back.
 
Gleb let out an inhuman roar, but his feet continued to slide on the stone floor.

           
I followed, pouring everything I could dredge up into the clear fire.
 
I began to feel a deep, terrible strain as if I were burning out my own soul.

           
But I kept going.

           
William pushed Gleb back inch by inch, until they reached the entrance to the tunnel that led back toward the Mstislav crypt.
 
Gleb fought back with sudden force, and William lost his hold on him.

           
Gleb barreled toward me, and I scrambled back, but William caught him once again.
 
With his head down and his shoulder braced against the creature, William pushed him into the tunnel.
 
Gleb was forced to double over in order to fit.
 
I followed, fighting to keep up my concentration on the clear fire.
 
I could feel the strength draining out of me.

           
While Gleb raged and struggled, William wrestled him down the tunnel and over the broken door into the smoky crypt.
 
Gleb's flame eyes rolled furiously in his head as he saw himself being pushed back toward his own tomb.
 
It was clear that he knew his unnatural life would be over if he were to be wrestled back into that tomb.