Page 18 of Rune Assassin

I blinked at him. “Why would we want to?”

Tegan grinned at me. “I’ve heard they’ve made it into a small city beneath our feet. It could be worth a look.”

I dropped my gaze to the grassy ground upon which we tread. “Are we talking about a big or little city? And should I watch where I step?”

He chuckled. “I doubt it stretches outside these plains and I hope we don’t have to-”

I screamed as one of my legs was suddenly swallowed by the earth. Tegan grabbed hold of my arm in a flash but the ground had already consumed my leg up to my mid-thigh. I thrashed around like a trapped animal as my heart pounded in my chest.

“Up! Up! Up!” I yelped.

Tegan gladly obeyed and pulled me out of the hole. I fell against him and was glad for his strong arms around me. It took a few moments for me to catch my breath, but the moment I did I gave my captor a look of death. The hole was round and slightly larger than my foot, and a tall clump of grass had hidden it from view.

“Those vampires really need to watch where they’re digging,” I snapped.

Tegan drew me behind him and knelt beside the hole. He dug around with his fingers for a moment before a grin slipped onto his lips. “I don’t think the builder of this hole will listen to you.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and frowned. “Why not?”

He looked up at me with twinkling eyes. “Because it was dug by an animal.”

My face drooped. “Seriously?”

He plucked something from the mouth of the chasm and held it up. “Animal fur.”

I leaned down and glared at the offending tuft. “What kind of animal?”

He released the fur so it could float back down to the ground. “I’m not really sure myself.”

A crooked smile slipped onto my lips as he stood. “So I’ve finally found it.”

Tegan stood and blinked at me. “What?”

“Something you don’t know about.”

He choked on a laugh. “I’m not knowledgeable about a lot of things.”

“Uh-huh,” I replied as we continued on our walk.

I watched the ground for any more booby traps and was glad when we reached a trail that followed the border between two fields to the road. The path was empty but the ruts in the road told the tale of many a cart over many a year. The place was so deserted that I was glad when a figure appeared in the distance. They held an umbrella and I wasn’t too surprised to find their face was pale.

The face was also familiar as Conrad walked up to us. He stopped and bowed his head. “Good morning.”

“You’re up a little early,” Tegan commented.

A slight smile touched his lips. “I would say I am awake rather late. I was just going to see to the preparations at the longhouse along the beach.”

“The one where Hugh is?” I guessed.

He stared at me for a moment with more than a touch of confusion on his face before recognition dawned and he nodded. “Just so. He has been kind enough to return to us after exploring the world and will be very valuable in preparing for the diving.”

“Would we be in the way if we watched it tonight?” Tegan requested.

Conrad lifted an eyebrow and glanced between us. “Would you really care to? Your eyesight may not be up to the task of seeing very much.”

Tegan smiled at him. “We’ll manage, but may we?”

The vampire nodded. “You may if you wish. We should be glad for the audience, however feeble your eyesight is. The diving begins just after sunset but I would suggest you arrive shortly before that so our less self-disciplined aren’t tempted by your travel along the roads.”

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