Carpathian 11 - Dark Descent

undercover work?
    She made a smal growling noise of dissent and bit his shoulder hard.

    The air shaft was narrow, but he angled their bodies until they slipped through, taking them to the upper levels. As soon as she felt the ground beneath her feet, she turned on her light, caught his hand, and sprinted through the tunnel toward the entrance.
    "Valenteen is not folowing us. Although he is a master vampire, he wil not attempt to fight me alone."
    His words stopped her. Joie wanted to make sure that Jubal and Gabriele had made it to safety, but the idea that a creature as hideous and lethal as a vampire wouldn't fight Traian alone was frightening. What did she know of him, after al? He was a voice speaking to her in the night. A man who drank blood and shifted shapes.
    "I am a man of honor. A man who has found the one woman. The only woman." He put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I know this happened too fast and you do not altogether trust it."
    "If I don't think about it, I trust it, and that scares me, Traian. I'm not particularly a trusting person. Al this time I thought I was stil in control after al, I did rescue you. But now you're saying those creatures won't attack you while they're alone."
    "I am an ancient hunter. I have been tried in battle for more years than I care to remember. I know the ways of the vampire and I am much skiled in what I do." There was no arrogance or bravado in his voice, only acceptance and truth.
    "And these vampires?"
    "Should not have been together. They should not be here, in the Carpathian Mountains, so close to our prince and many of our males. I was returning to my homeland when I first came across them. I knew they were desperate to find something in that cave. Although it was risky to pit myself against so many, it was my duty to my people to stay and discover what they were looking for. Even after you found me and I recognized who you were, I stayed because the vampires were so frantic to find something. I had no idea this was a cave of wizards."
    "And what is the significance of wizards to a vampire? I know what it would be to humans. Most of us don't actualy believe the fairy tales about wizards and crystal bals.
    And dragons. That was very cool, by the way."
    "You saw the spheres in that room. Ancient spels and power remain in them. We don't want vampires, or anyone, for that matter, to get their hands on things best left alone. Carpathians are of the Earth. We have gifts, but we do not wield power in the same way as the wizards did."
    "Is it possible some are stil alive?"
    "I would think It likely. At least I would think some of their descendants remain and have retained their knowledge, or at least a portion of it."
    Joie sighed. "Lovely thought. Anyone who created that shadow warrior is not going to be counted among my best friends."
    "Nor mine."
    Joie folowed him through the long hal, not looking at the beauty and magnificence of her surroundings as she normaly would. She turned the information over in her mind.
    "You grew up a long time ago."
    He grinned at her, his teeth flashing in the light of her lantern. "Wel, yes. I have lived for centuries. I barely remember my parents anymore." His smile slipped away. "The memory of my childhood days has faded. I catch glimpses at times. I do recal the years just before leaving my homeland. The way the prince looked at us al. I saw it in his eyes. His own death, the decline of our people, his dread for al of the warriors he was sending away from home. Our women were so few, even then the numbers were declining. Back then we had aliances with humans. Now we keep to ourselves and just do our best to blend in."
    She listened to the sound of his voice and heard the sorrow that ran deep. In his mind she saw the battles, sometimes with childhood friends. Saw his inner demons, the insidious whispers of power, the dark stain that slowly spread over him, caling to him. And he was always alone. In every memory, he was always alone. Joie wanted to comfort him. She caught his hand, tangled her fingers with his. She meant it to be a brief gesture, but he tightened his grip.
    "I grew up very differently," she said, ducking her head to avoid a large crystal formation. "My family is very close and very loving. We al talk at the same time and give each other al sorts of unwanted advice. My dad tels outrageous stories. He used to sneak into our bedroom at night with a flashlight shining on his face and tel scary stories until we screamed and