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He just grinned, saying nothing as he helped Camille to her feet, and they started down the stairs. “Why do you suppose nobody’s come after us?” he asked, his smile fading. “We’ve made more noise than a band of drunken Vikings on a rape-and-pillage mission.”
“And just what was the hellhound doing?” I started to ask, but Vanzir shook his head and held up his hand.
“He’s right. And my only answer is that I don’t think there is anybody here to stop us. I think there’s some sort of revenant or specter protecting the venidemons, watching over them as they hatch. I’m figuring we’re heading into a nursery. Want to make a bet they were counting on the hellhound to stop anybody trying to get through?” Vanzir studied the hallway. “There’s demonic energy coursing down the hall like a river gone wild.”
Camille closed her eyes, then shuddered. “Vanzir’s right. It’s undulating like a wave. There’s demonic energy everywhere down here.”
“Then we’d better get a move on. If you’re right,” I said, looking at the dream chaser, “then the protector of those venidemons is waiting for us at the end of the road. Along with the venidemons themselves.”
“Remember, they’re dangerous even when just hatched. They may not be able to inject their eggs at larval stage, but they can still do a lot of damage,” he said. “Whoever has the cold spells ought to go in front with you.”
“I don’t want to leave Camille unprotected,” Smoky said.
Morio turned to him. “I’ll watch out for her. You’re needed up here.” When Smoky hesitated, he added, “I’m her husband, too. You know I’ll protect her with my life.”
Camille let out a long sigh. “Get up there with Delilah, you butthead. Morio can help me.” When Smoky didn’t budge, she added, “I’ll be all right. I’m not stupid enough to put myself in the front lines as wounded as I am, but I’m not in danger of keeling over this second. Yeah, my hand burns like hell, but I’m not dying.”
He gave a resigned shrug and then traded places with Morio.
“Butthead?” I mouthed, flashing him a wide grin.
Smoky snorted. “What can I say? You know Camille.”
Suddenly, I missed having Chase with us. Missed the usual comfort of our relationship. I bit my lip. Every couple went through hard times; I’d learned that by watching Camille and her lovers. But right now, I envied her easy ways and confidence. I had no idea what I was doing. I tried my best, but being part of a couple was still new to me.
Hell, I was still new to me. Since our visit to the Autumn Lord, everything in my world had gone topsy-turvy, and it seemed like the rules changed every time I turned around. One thing was for sure, though. Chase and I were going to have a long talk after this mess with the venidemons was over, and that included him telling me about Erika.
Shaking off my frustration, I turned to the others. “Are we ready?” Everybody nodded. “Then let’s get a move on.”
Vanzir pushed the iron door open, holding it wide. After we all filed through, he slowly eased it shut behind us and caught up to the front.
The corridor through which we crept was dark, but thanks to Morio and his fox fire, we could see to the end where the passage turned to the right. I soon realized this wasn’t just a basement. It looked like a network of tunnels and had probably been added long after the main house was built. Which meant that one of Shadow Wing’s scouts probably bought this place and turned it into a hideout for his network of spies to use for . . . well . . . whatever they were up to.
The walls of the passage were damp and slick with mildew. While the tunnel itself wasn’t heated, I could sense a heat source emanating from somewhere up ahead. As we neared the end of the passage, I motioned for everyone to stop and crept forward to the edge, where I peeked around the corner.
About fifteen feet farther, the tunnel came to an end. Directly at the end was a door, this one iron, too, and that’s where the heat was emanating from. I swung around the corner and led them down the hall.
Vanzir placed his hand on the iron. I winced, but he seemed okay with it. “Behind that door—the venidemons are there.”
“Roz, you’re going to have to get us through that door. And when we meet up with the specter or whatever’s guarding them, be on the alert. A run-of-the-mill ghost wouldn’t bother us, so it’s got to be something worse. And with that portal to the Netherworld, you know it’s going to be nasty. The hellhound could have come from either the Subterranean Realms or the Netherworld, so . . .”
Roz glanced at Smoky. “There’s one way we can get the jump on them. But I don’t know if Smoky’s willing to do it. I’ll give it a go—but then again, we have no way of knowing what we’d be getting into.”
“What do you mean?” I glanced around at the dragon, confused. “What’s he talking about?”
Smoky eyed Roz with a cool stare. “Surely you jest. Without knowing what’s on the other end, we could be dropping them into a lake of molten lava, or a nest of larvae where they’d be immediately attacked.”
Camille let out a little gasp. “So that’s how you get around so fast,” she said to Roz. “I knew about Smoky but . . . how can you . . .”
Smoky cut her off. “Enough. We’re not attempting it, so let it drop for now.” I was about to say something, but he shook his head at me. “Save your questions for later. Rozurial, attend to the door. If you don’t, then I’ll remove the impediment.”
Roz gave him a shake of the head. “You’re too full of yourself. Never mind!” He held up his hands when Smoky took a step forward. “I’ll take care of the door. No problem. No worry.” He pulled out his vials of myocian powder and alostar compound.
“You’ve been holding out on me,” I whispered to Camille. “You care to dish it up later? That is, if you can tear yourself away from Moe and Curly here.”
“Sure thing. It just never came up until now.” She winced, clutching her hand again. “Shit, this hurts. I just want to take care of those bugs and get the hell out of here.”
I glanced at Roz, who was backing up, his extendable rod in hand. “I think you’re about to get your wish. Battle order: Smoky and me, Roz and Vanzir, Morio and Camille.”
