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.As you have the habit of doing? He breathed the words in her mind even as he began to move in a peculiar pattern, his feet finding a rhythm centuries old.It was an ancient safeguard, not especially strong and set mainly as a delaying tactic.It required little effort but a great deal of time to unravel.He glanced skyward.He would never get to the evil one before the sun sank from the sky.It didn't make any difference to him.His pace remained the same, steady so that he made no mistakes, a deliberate, precise set of movements designed to negate what the vampire had wrought.Lucian was not deceived by the primitive structure of the safeguard.He had infinite patience and even more confidence.The only worry he had was Jaxon.She would not stay idly by, safe somewhere, while he hunted and destroyed the undead.She was determined to aid him.Don't worry, Lucian, I am learning quite a bit from your memories.All you have to do is direct my actions as you did your brother's.I am quite capable of doing what he did.There was no hesitation in her voice.She considered it a duty, a responsibility.He had no doubt she meant what she said.The first safeguard had been neutralized.He began the more complicated regimen of dismantling the trap set for unwary hunters.This pattern was a much more intricate and difficult one.He had not seen it used before, but that mattered little to him.It was an illusion hiding the entrance to the cave, an illusion using a deadfall and more to guard the opening.As he began to unravel it, the granite creaked and moaned in response.A shower of boulders fell from above him to crash in the spot where he was working.Lucian merely leaped to one side, the movements of his hands continuing despite the assault from above.As the avalanche showered down, increasing in strength and size, Lucian simply took a moment to provide himself with an invisible shelter to deflect the rocks.Jaxon gasped, feeling the hatred and anger issuing in waves from beneath the earth.She was still some distance from the site, moving toward him, yet the malevolence the creature was projecting made her physically ill.She knew Lucian was in grave danger from the malicious monster, that it was bending its mind and powers, its will toward destroying Lucian.The closer she got to its lair, the more fouled the air became.It was thick with poisonous, noxious gas, a toxic combination of evil and hatred that threatened to choke her.It was directed at Lucian, the cloud even thicker where he stood, so that no air could displace it despite the wildness of the wind.She could feel how calm Lucian was, with no panic, no sense of haste, just his tranquil mind working at a steady pace to unlock the opening to the lair of the hideous abomination that waited within with dripping fangs and murder on its mind.Even trained as she had been to work through pain and discomfort, Jaxon knew she never would have been able to force herself to enter the realm of the undead had it not been for Lucian.Nothing seemed to bother him.He acted as if he didn't notice the noxious odor, the thick, poisonous gas creeping around him.He simply worked quietly and efficiently.Jaxon made a concentrated effort to do the same, using Lucian as an anchor while she moved within the field of evil gas.Approach from the south, angel.He will sense your presence, and you will feel his triumph.He will perceive you as the weak link he can escape through.He knows I cannot possibly reach him in time to confront him in his lair, so he will come after you, thinking to delay me with his traps.You must be ready for him.Once he is in your vision, you cannot lose sight of him.Do you understand me? If you are to do this thing, you must do exactly as I tell you.This monster scares me to death.So, believe me, whatever you say goes.He will try to capture you.If he cannot and he sees he cannot escape, he will be very dangerous and will certainly attempt to destroy you.I trust you, Lucian, Just tell me what to do to delay him long enough for you to get to him.Jaxon's heart was pounding now, and she deliberately took a few calming breaths to steady herself.She had successfully opened her earthen grave on her own.She had to believe that.She had moved through the mountain with incredible speed, following the mental path Lucian had left behind to guide her.She was streaking through the sky in the form of insubstantial mist, again holding the image in her own mind, even as she spoke with Lucian.She could do whatever he needed her to do.This was no different than police work.She had to look at it that way.Her partner needed back up.You could remain safe, as you should.Lucian made the suggestion gently, almost absently, as he unraveled the second lock.At once huge scorpions boiled out of a tiny crack that was just beginning to form in the rock.It was a thin gap, but great sheets of the poisonous insects welled out of the opening, spilling over one another, extending their tails at Lucian in an effort to reach him.Jaxon choked back a cry of alarm as she caught the impression of the creatures from Lucian's mind.They moved much faster than she had thought possible.And they were very ugly and frightening.It was Lucian's soft laughter that relaxed her, allowing her to continue to her appointed spot.He never changed, never appeared disturbed by anything the vampire threw at him.It had all been done before, all been seen before.Lucian reacted to the swarm of insects with his lightning-fast reflexes, rising into the air, breathing fire as if he were a dragon, destroying the swarm in a smoking pile of ashes.It is merely a ploy to slow me down, he sent the assurance to Jaxon.It could be a fairly deadly ploy.Jaxon shimmered into solid form on the south side of the mountain, taking deep breaths to remain calm.At once she was sorry.The air was so thick and noxious, she felt sick.It was better than insects, though.If a swarm of giant scorpions had spilled out of the mountain to greet her, she would have gone running for cover instantly.You are much braver than you think.I hope you're right.She knew exactly what he was doing now.He was the one holding the merge, not she.She touched his mind occasionally, but Lucian was the one to stay linked, a shadow in her mind.He was unraveling the next lock, reversing the vampire's intricate pattern, his eye on the setting sun.She felt the vampire reaching for her, trying to swamp her with fear, with terror.Jaxon remained immune, able to block out the waves of fear in the same way she had the poisonous gas the creature was excreting into the air.Jaxon simply held fast to Lucian, wishing desperately that she had a gun or two, even though she knew bullets wouldn't do much good against the undead.A weapon would still give her a sense of security, and she needed that right now.The sun was sinking fast.At once the wind picked up, the storm increasing in strength, becoming violent, hurtling branches and foliage in all directions.Now the mountain erupted, spewing hot lava at Lucian, the mixture shooting into the sky, seeking its target.The molten, spewing, fiery rocks forced Lucian to take cover.Jaxon held her ground, scanning the skies, waiting quietly for the fiend to show himself.The creature burst from the ground only a few feet from her, with no real warning, flying straight at her with outstretched talons.With dirt raining down on her, Jaxon had only a split second to react, saw only jagged brown teeth and red-rimmed eyes and razor-sharp claws coming at her
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