“Our home is not far from here. We will certainly be safe there.” Dominic turned and began to walk back into the strange curling fog.
Sandu held out his hand to Adalasia. The farther Dominic got from them, the more he became translucent, as if he were like the cat she saw in her mind rather than in reality. Nicu and Siv were in motion, following the Dragonseeker into the rolling clouds of vapor coming off the forest floor. Sandu urged her to stay in step behind them. She tried to keep her heart in sync with Sandu’s, but it was difficult the moment they actually entered the darker fog.
Adalasia felt the difference on her body. She knew what mist felt like when it touched her skin. This wasn’t the same at all. When she looked down at her legs, there were tiny pinpricks in her calves and ankles. She moistened her lips and couldn’t help tightening her grip on Sandu. So much for being a warrior woman like Solange. She didn’t want to look at her body as the steam rose higher and thicker around her.
Ahead of her, Nicu and Siv were nearly transparent. She could see the dark gray fog roiling right through them. It had risen up like a fogbank, surrounding them, coming through the trees, a shield to hide in or a shimmering veil to transport them from one realm to another. Adalasia wasn’t certain which it was, only that the Dragonseeker had created the wall for them to step into, and they were doing so willingly.
Then her body felt as if it were disintegrating slowly, piece by piece. Those little holes widening until, when she looked down, there was nothing left of her. Her breath caught. She nearly called out in fear to Sandu. He must have felt her terror, because his mind moved in hers. Gentle. Steady. He didn’t speak to reassure her, and because he didn’t, she remained silent as well.
Adalasia had so many questions, but she refrained from asking them. Clearly, Sandu was unfazed by this strange phenomenon. He didn’t take it as a threat, and neither did the others. That had to mean they had some kind of protection against it that would extend to her; otherwise, Sandu would never have allowed her to step inside it. Once she reasoned things through, she was able to relax again.
She kept her gaze fixed straight ahead, where Nicu and Siv had been. Eventually, she caught glimpses of them moving through the trees as the darker gray began to turn a lighter color and thin out. The translucent forms solidified rather quickly, much faster than when they had slowly disappeared into the mist. Neither man turned to see if she and Sandu were behind them, so she knew they were aware of their presence.
Sandu’s thumb slid over her inner wrist, right over her pulse. You did very well. I had no time to warn you what it would be like inside the mass.
What is it?
It is a ward few know of. Not even insects can penetrate it. Air, earth, water or fire, none of the elements can get through it.
Excitement burst through her. Do you know how to create such a thing?
Inside her mind, he nodded. Those in the monastery shared knowledge. The Dragonseeker was one of the few given some of our secrets. He arrived at our gates with tremendous wounds, and we took him in to heal him. Since it was well known that no Dragonseeker had ever turned, we imparted knowledge to him not given to too many other hunters. His sister, Rhiannon, was taken, her lifemate killed, and Dominic refused to give up looking for her. He is a very tenacious hunter.
Adalasia looked around the forest. They were still very close to the river, but now moving away from it, going to the interior. Overhead, the tree branches were thicker and connected with one another, forming an arboreal highway. There was an occasional whisper of movement, no more than the passing of something along the leaves, as if a slight breeze had stirred the canopy.
Those parasites you detest so much, Dominic ingested in order to make it appear as if a Dragonseeker had finally turned vampire. There was a plot underway to kill the De La Cruz brothers and then to murder the prince. He infiltrated the ranks of the vampires to get information and destroy them. Enduring the parasites was agony every second, but he did so in order to ensure that the Carpathian people got the necessary information and the master vampires were destroyed.
Adalasia couldn’t help but look at the wide shoulders of the Dragonseeker with new respect as he led the way through the forest, that dark gray mat still under their feet as they made their way to his home. She hoped she could have done what he had in order to save the world, but the thought of taking even one of those horrid, vile, wiggling parasites into her mouth was so appalling, she could barely keep from vomiting.
How did he survive?
Solange. She fought at his side. Their story is legendary, told to Carpathian children now. Solange is very quiet and uncomfortable in the presence of others, which is one of the reasons they reside here. Dominic is comfortable anywhere. Solange needs the forest, and he needs her.