Page 31 of Rune Assassin

One of the vampires tossed aside a huge timber that must have weighed some five hundred pounds and waited for the air to clear before peering into the hole he’d created. He stiffened and whipped his head up. “Sir! I’ve found something!”

Hugh swam forward and we followed. The vampire worker pointed at something that glistened against the dull colors of the sea bed. Hugh dropped to his knees beside the artifact and swiped his hand over the water a few inches over the object. Loose sand followed his wake and revealed a silver platter at least two feet across.

Hugh leaned back and smiled up at his compatriot. “A good night’s job. This will fetch a handsome price-”

“Look out!” one of the other vampires shouted.

A groaning noise caught our attention and I whipped my head up in time to watch the shaky wreck shudder and roll toward us. Those ruined ribs cracked in protest to the movement and their remains rained down on us. Tegan wrapped his arms around me while Hugh clapped his hands on the other vampire’s shoulders and tossed him out of the way. I screamed as the ship collapsed on top of us, forcing its heavy weight down and pushing us into the soft sand of the sea bottom.

I felt Tegan’s arms slip away and at the same time another weight almost as heavy appeared over me. A roar reverberated through the waters and I jerked my head back. The huge shadowy body of Tegan’s dragon form towered above me and his tail curled around our unconscious friend. Tegan locked his legs and pressed his back against the hull. The ship shuddered and rolled back a little even as the other vampires frantically tried to tear the debris away from us.

That’s when I realized something. Air bubbles were coming out of his mouth. I froze as I recalled Conrad’s warning to us about the blood: it wouldn’t last if another magic interfered with it. Tegan had used that magic to transform himself.

“No!” I shouted as I grabbed onto the metal plates on his chest. “Get out of here! Go on! Get to the surface!”

Tegan didn’t heed my call as he gritted his dagger-like teeth and pushed harder against the ship. The air bubbles came faster and I could feel the strain on his body. I had to do something.

That’s when I blew up.

CHAPTERSEVENTEEN

I started backas a powerful light burst out of my body and cast a wide net some fifty yards around me. The vampires cried out in pain and scattered out of the domain of the bright glow, all except the unconscious Hugh. The light also blew off the remains of the ship and scattered timber and treasure far and wide.

And the magic blew off my vampire blood.

I wrapped my hands around my throat and gasped as water bubbles now escaped my own lips. The light around me faded as my focus turned to staying alive. Tegan clamped his teeth on my coat and flapped and paddled upward. His wings propelled us to the surface and we broke through into the starry night. I clutched onto Tegan’s scales and choked on the sweet oxygen. Even he trembled as he sucked in the precious air.

Tegan got a hold of himself and looked down at me. I’d forgotten how gravely his voice was in this form. “Are you alright?”

I choked out a few more cupfuls of seawater and nodded. “Y-yeah.”

He looked me over before he turned his sights on the beach. “So much for laying low on revealing our magic. . .”

I snorted and patted his chainmail chest. “At least we’re not laying on the ocean floor.”

Tegan gave me another careful study. “You sure you’re alright.”

I leaned my cheek against one of his plates and sighed. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t dreaming of a nice warm bed.” A breeze wafted over us and made me shiver. “And a really warm bath.”

The vampires popped their heads above the surface and one of them had draped Hugh’s arm over his shoulder. The lead vampire gave us a weak smile. “My sincerest apologies. It appears we were rather careless.”

Tegan shook his head. “It was an accident. We were prepared for such danger.”

Hugh looked over his scaly body. “So it would appear. I thank you for saving me. I might have been crushed to ash if you hadn’t intervened.”

“Glad to help,” I spoke up as I patted Tegan on the chest. “Now I think we’ll be going.”

Tegan lowered his neck. “Climb aboard.”

I pursed my lips. “You sure you can fly us back?”

He grinned at me. “I could use the warm exercise.”

That didn’t quite answer my question, but I floated onto his neck and eased myself lower so I was positioned on his back. He opened his wings and flapped hard, spraying water over the area and forcing the vampires back. We were soon airborne and I clutched on to his wild mane.

I was positioned just slightly ahead of his wings and they inspired a very important question in me. “How’s your wing?”

“Perfectly healed,” he assured me.

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