Page 28 of Dark Master's Redemption

And hear a sound like wind chimes breaking, far off in the catacombs.

“They’ve broken through the ninth ward.” Quinn’s head snaps around as he squints far off down the underground corridor, on vicious alert. I can’t see anything in the gloom, nor feel anything with my Dark Fae senses. But Quinn was the one who placed those wards down here long ago. A terrible, pleased look comes into his eyes as he says, “Wait for the eighth…”

As a sudden sound like an enormous bug zapper crackles down the hall, I hear a dozen screams. They’re horrible; writhing in agony, they end in tormented shrieks that go on and on, before they suddenly stop. I don’t know what Quinn’s ward just did to the Vampires who were after us. I don’t want to know, as he turns back to our group.

Nodding quickly to the injured as he goes to hustle them up.

“Let’s move.”

We do. All of us with strength head to someone injured now, hauling them to their feet and getting their arm around our shoulders. About ten of those in the tomb are hale enough to help a comrade up who is worse. Levitating up the last five who are in the most critical condition with his watery aura, the Vampire-Siren Arturos has said nothing this entire time, but responds immediately to Quinn’s command.

I see their gazes connect.

Before Quinn turns his back on his once-friend—dismissing him as he gathers one of his wounded Dark Fae up.

“Alleno, lead the way with Lucca and Ariana. I’m right behind you. Devi, Curio—hold our rear with all our fighters who are in the best shape. Arturos, take the middle with the worst of the injured. Lose no one.”

“Yes, Quinn,” Devi snaps as she moves into a tail position with Curio and a few of Quinn’s best fighters, only moderately injured. Quinn waves a hand as we get everyone together, and the hidden stairwell at the rear of the tomb appears, spiraling up to the cemetery above.

A Dark Fae woman I don’t know is on my arm, her beautiful silky black hair a complement to her pale features. I stay close to Alleno as we ascend. We emerge in the small, shadowed space of the mausoleum above; as Alleno leads the way, pushing out through the ornate iron grate into the night, I feel the blessed midnight summer breeze of Florence at last. After so many days at the ice citadel of Novakitsk, my skin drinks in the warm, balmy night eagerly. Crickets chirrup through the starlit darkness as the cemetery’s trees sway in the wind.

I heave a deep sigh of solace—though my tension remains for our escape tonight.

It seems like it takes hours for us to get all the injured aboveground. Though I know it’s only been a few minutes, every second seems like an eternity, as I hear another of Quinn’s wards blare through the underground. Our pursuers hit another one after that; something horrible that makes more Vampires shriek. But the Council and Florian’s forces are still hot on our trail; it’s clear they’re not giving up as we get the last of Devi’s warriors up the stairs and out into the night.

As she nods to Quinn, then Alleno, Alleno turns to go.

But not before tapping my shoulder and Lucca’s—warning us both to stay close.

It’s difficult, as both Lucca and I manage an injured Dark Fae as we head out through the midnight cemetery, and Alleno does as well. We keep within a five-foot radius of Alleno, however, as I feel a smooth, bright wind from him ease around us as we walk.

I see how that auric breeze actually shifts the surrounding shadows in the night; as I realize Alleno has the power to bend both light and shadows around himself, something strikes me about him. We leave the cemetery through an enormous, ornately carved arch, heading out into Florence’s nighttime streets, as I move closer to him now and speak low.

“You can bend both light and shadows with your Dark Fae power. That’s why you’ve always had such skill in the Darkwatch, and can stay hidden in plain sight when you follow Lucca,” I say, as Lucca falls behind us with his charge, Quinn behind that as we stay on Florence’s narrow sidewalks.

“So?” Alleno glances at me. He nods his chin at a turn, and we head around the corner.

“So you’re not a Courante Dark Fae, like Lucca.” My deepest intuition rings true inside me now. “You’re an Animante Dark Fae. Like me.”

I feel Lucca perk behind me as I say this to Alleno. Though he’s still tailing us, scanning for threats, Quinn goes into an immaculate stillness behind that.

As we all wait for Alleno’s answer.

“Can’t keep anything from you, can I?” Alleno gives a dark chuckle now, nodding for us to turn down a tight alley, deep in the heart of the city. As we’re hemmed in by towering buildings with cascading balconies dripping with potted plants, I know we’re in the Ilanti Rustico section of Florence where Bello Bellissimo’s pizzeria is. The tight alley gives me no comfort; like Quinn and Lucca, I scan both the alley ahead and the balconies all around us for threats now.

Like Vampires might just surge down, right on top of us.

“That’s why you’ve fought so hard for me. Why you’ve protected me for Lucca, like you have…” I breathe now as only part of me remains in my conversation with Alleno, the rest of me alert for threats the closer we get to Bello’s shop.

“Couldn’t let one of only ten Animante I know get offed.” Alleno chuckles as I feel Lucca listen to our conversation. “Besides. You’re nice. I like you.”

Before Alleno or I can say more, however, there’s movement in the night. Just as we feared, the wrought-iron balconies above us and all around are suddenly pouring down Vampires, as a cloaking spell gets lifted.

With a terrible roar, Quinn’s dark aura floods up like a hurricane around us, as he keeps his injured comrade close and gets ready to fight one-handed. The rest of us are similarly hindered as I feel Dark Fae auras thunder up throughout our group, me raising my balanced power along with Quinn’s dark and Lucca’s bright magic.

But Quinn, Lucca, and I are at far less than our usual power from everything we’ve gone through at the ice citadel. As terrible, death-dark auras thunder up from the Vampires in black tactical gear all around us, nasty black knives lengthening into rune-scalding Vampire spears, I feel how our group is not at our best. Even Devina’s indomitable Dark Scarlet Fae magic flickers far less than usual; only Arturos’ watery bonds seem to have no limit.

As his immense, sea-dark power expands—all around us.

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