Page 58 of Rune Assassin

His good humor faltered and he looked ahead. “Yes. The old growth made this place very fertile so the mortals came with their plows to tame the land.”

“Including Lusio,” Tegan mused.

The vampire stiffened a little but didn’t break his stride. “Including Mr. Lusio.”

“He hasn’t always scavenged for treasures?” I wondered.

Tegan shook his head. “Lusio started out by trading wheat and then got into the diving business. He used that money and the fame from the trials to set himself up as the property owner of most of this area.”

We reached one of the holes in the ground and I noticed a large dome stood thirty feet off ahead of us.

“This is my family’s crypt,” Hugh revealed as he strolled down the steps and opened the cell door. The hinges creaked in protest.

I gingerly walked down the stairs. Cobwebs covered both walls and leaves littered the entranceway. The doorway led into a narrow hall of stone which light didn’t touch. The end was a mystery to me and I noticed Tegan held back a little as his bright eyes scanned the area.

“My apologies for the poor conditions,” Hugh told us as he gestured down the hall. “I haven’t been back long enough to clean the area, but there are some comfortable seats inside that will keep you out of the wind.”

“Do you intend to stay long?” Tegan wondered as we were guided down the dark passage. Niches in the walls held the crumbling remains of a few bones.

“Not long. My work here is almost finished.”

Hugh guided us to the end where the way opened to a small rotunda with a domed ceiling. The walls had been built from huge stone blocks grayed by centuries of time and dirt. I did notice there were some fresh markings smeared across the wall dust that showed a reddish hue.

Hugh turned to us with a smile and gestured to a long bench that encircled the room where people could sit with the dead. “Please make yourselves comfortable.”

Something about this whole thing stank and Tegan felt the same way. He set a stiff hand on my shoulder and smiled at our host. “If you don’t mind, I think we’ll wait in the open for Conrad.”

“But I do mind.”

There was a chill in Hugh’s voice that set off alarm bells. Tegan grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the exit. Hugh was faster. Much faster. He slipped past us with preternatural speed and turned at the opening to the passage. The vampire had a wide, almost maniacal grin on his face as he snapped his fingers.

A faint red mist burst out of the walls and created a barrier that encompassed the entire rotunda from the center of the floor to the tip of the domed ceiling. Tegan released me and slammed his shoulder against the new wall but a charge of energy threw him back. He crashed into the center of the floor and slid for a few feet before coming to a stop.

I rushed to his side as he sat up with a pained and furious expression on his face. “What’s the meaning of this, Hugh?” he shouted at our ‘host.’

Hugh chuckled. “I am merely trying to save you from getting in my way again. If you were to do that a third time, well, I couldn’t guarantee your lives.”

I whipped my head up and glared at him. “You? You’re the one behind all this?”

He folded his arms across his chest and shrugged. “I take complete credit.”

“Even for this?” Tegan countered as he nodded at the barrier.

Hugh swept his admiring eyes over the mist. “No. Unfortunately, my gift doesn’t lie in such complicated magics. This is Miss Clara’s work.”

“Willing or unwilling?” Tegan questioned him as he eased himself onto his feet with me helping him.

“A little bit of both,” Hugh mused with a crooked smile on his lips. “She’s rather tired of being a contract slave to that monster and she wanted to save you from your own unwilling mission. Crafting this magic worked out well for her in both ways.”

“So where does your gift lie?” Tegan wondered as he stared daggers at our foe.

Hugh chuckled. “Haven’t you guessed? I can control people with my mind.”

“You bastard!” I lunged forward and only Tegan stopped me from crashing into the barrier. Still, I gave Hugh a promise of retribution. “You’re the one who got into my head!”

He inclined his head. “My sincerest apologies, Miss Kate, but I had no choice. You were interfering far too much in my plans.”

Tegan hugged me against his chest as he glared at our captor. “Do those plans include killing Lusio?”

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