Carpathian 23 - Dark Storm

rocks to get at Dax. Deep inside the
     dragon roused, a blast of warning reverberating through Dax’s skull. Temperatures
     soared in the lava tube, and steam vented through several places in the floor. The
     ground shook a second time and molten rock burst through the openings. The floor crumbled
     and melted, dropping down into the lava flowing beneath the tube.
    Dax gripped the struggling worm’s tail with both hands, determined they would both
     be destroyed in the magma rocketing into the tube. More and more geysers slung the
     melted rock high into the air so that it hit the ceiling and splattered in all directions.
     Desperate, Mitro reversed direction and slashed at Dax’s wrist, driving through flesh.
     The ground gave another lurch, and Dax sprawled onto the floor.
    Beneath him the floor opened and magma shot through. He heard his own scream as the
     flesh of his legs burned away. He lost his grip on Mitro. For a moment it looked as
     if the molten rock had engulfed the vampire, but with the orange and red stream of
     magma rose a suspicious steam. Shrieks of pain and rage filled the tube.
    Dax had no choice but to survive. Cutting off the excruciating pain was impossible,
     but he shifted, knowing it was the dragon’s scales that saved him. His flesh was burned
     away and he needed the healing earth immediately. Once again, fate had favored Mitro.
     The timing of the blast through the tube’s floor hadn’t been the vampire, but the
     volcano preparing for a major eruption. The body of the worm had saved Mitro, but
     he, too, would have to seek the healing soil. Neither had much time; the volcano wasn’t
     going to wait for them.

4
    “D amn, I missed the entire thing,” Don Weston whispered overly loud to Dr. Henry Patton.
     “All those bats going up in flames and Raul losing his mind and wanting to machete
     someone. I slept right through it. Next time, wake me up!”
    Deliberately, he glanced over his shoulder at Annabel and Riley, pretending to be
     covert, as if his booming voice was so low in his pretend whisper that they couldn’t
     possibly overhear him or know he was talking about them as they trekked in single
     file through the narrow opening of brush on the small game trail.
    Ahead of her, Annabel stiffened, but she didn’t turn around.
    Riley pressed her lips together tightly. Weston was only making things worse. He wanted
     to stir up trouble because neither Riley nor her mother would give him the time of
     day and his ego was bruised. She sighed and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She
     couldn’t wait to make it to the base of the mountain and part company with the engineers,
     although Ben Charger had stayed true to his word and kept a close watch, along with
     Jubal Sanders and Gary Jansen.
    Annabel reached her hand back and brushed Riley’s arm. The touch was featherlight,
     but Riley could feel her trembling. Her mother had gone very quiet, rarely speaking,
     her face pale and for the first time, lined a little with age. Riley tried not to
     feel panic, but she honestly felt as if her mother was retreating from her, slowing
     slipping away. Everyone had talked nonstop of the incidents in the middle of the night.
    Half the camp regarded Raul as if he suddenly had become a serial killer. He didn’t
     seem to remember much, just kept repeating it was a nightmare he’d been caught up
     in and how sorry he was. To be strictly honest, Riley felt terrible for him. She was
     still afraid of him, but she couldn’t help but see the misery in his eyes—and he had
     tried to resist that continual pressure and command in his mind. She’d seen him two
     or three times trying to go back to the fire, to stop moving forward toward her mother’s
     hammock.
    Annabel hadn’t made a single comment, not even when Riley had explained she’d been
     the intended target. She’d just looked at Riley with hopeless eyes—almost with that
     same defeated look Raul had—and shook her head. She’d hardly eaten anything before
     they’d started out again. The guides were hoping to get to the base of the mountain
     by nightfall. From there, each group would go their own way. Riley had to admit, she
     wasn’t as eager to part company with Gary and Jubal as much as she’d thought she’d
     be. There was something very reassuring about both of them.
    “I wish he’d stop talking,” Annabel said suddenly. She rubbed her temples as if she
     had a headache.
    Riley realized Weston was still