Warriors of Poseidon 04 - Atlantis Unmasked

tightly.
    Atlantis Unmasked - Warriors of Poseidon 04
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    She laughed, and the sound of it was as razor blades and salt to tender flesh. “So even after all these years, you fear me, Vonos? As you should. As they all should.”
     
    She paused for so long he nearly raised his head, but then at last she spoke again, in a more thoughtful voice. “I threw Alexios away, which may have been . . . hasty. But Justice escaped. Yet, in order to cross out of the Void, death magic had to be in play. If Justice killed in order to escape, then he is mine. The stain of death magic upon any soul is enough to consecrate them to the power of Chaos and the dominion of Night. If he killed, then he is mine,” she repeated. “And there was no creature living in the Void who would offer self-sacrifice to such a one as he.”
     
    Vonos‟s mind whirled with questions, hypotheses, and more questions. He‟d seen the gateway portals to the Void before. What he had never known, and wondered about now, was if a willing sacrifice made from the other side of the portal would open the entryway to release a captive. He knew enough about these Atlanteans to know that they were the type to consider such foolish self-sacrifice to be noble. Especially if it had anything to do with the new heir.
     
    However, if the thought hadn‟t occurred to Anubisa, he would certainly not be the one to bring it to her attention. He shuddered at the memory of the flames as the stench of sulfur still clung to his clothing and body. No, it would definitely not be he who would point out any flaw in her logic.
     
    The question then arose: If her logic could be flawed, was her goddesshood flawed as well? Ruthlessly, he silenced that line of thought as something to consider another day.
    First and most important was to survive this one.
     
    He finally found the courage to speak. “Then perhaps he is already yours, my lady. You will then be one-third of the distance toward your goal of enslaving the three brothers.
    Shall I hurry now to find Prevacek and put the rest of your plan in action?”
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    “Yes. Yes, do so immediately. We have much to plan, and little time in which to do it. If my intelligence is correct, the Atlanteans plan on ascending to the surface very soon.
    We can ill afford the overzealous techniques that some of our newly turned vampires are using upon the humans and shifters. We need them to be enthralled to do our bidding, not comatose or insane.”
     
    He cautiously lifted his head and saw that she was rising into the air, her eyes still blazing a feral red, but with no other sign of the Hellfire she‟d called earlier.
     
    “Go now, Vonos. I know I need not tell you the consequences of failure.”
     
    “No, my lady, you do not. I will report as soon as I have news.”
     
    As he watched her disappear into a whirling tornado of red-and-black smoke that shot through the roof as though it were no barrier, a wash of bitterness swept through him.
    He wondered, not for the first time, if the idiotic humans who‟d coined the phrase “failure is not an option” had any idea how harshly true the concept could actually be.
     
    No matter. He had his orders. First to let Prevacek off his leash, and then a personal matter to attend to, also in Florida. Perhaps the Vampire‟s Bane had just grown more dangerous than it was worth.

Chapter 10
    St. Augustine, the river wall outside the fort, the next morning
    Alexios had spent most of the night circling the fort; first on foot, later as mist, soaring through the overcast night sky, and finally—again in his body—swimming with the dolphins who played and danced in the windswept waters. Once it had become clear that all attempts to sleep would be futile, he‟d given up entirely. At first, he‟d thought to Atlantis Unmasked - Warriors of Poseidon 04
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    return to Atlantis. Sleep in the familiar comfort of his own bed in his room in the warriors‟
    wing of the palace. But something in him balked at the thought. It felt like giving in; as if he were not strong enough to sleep in the vicinity of Grace without going to her.
     
    If ever he‟d wanted to surrender, this had been the night.
     
    But surrender wasn‟t in his vocabulary. Unfortunately, several other words were. Like desperate. Needy. Wanting.
     
    He needed to talk to someone who could help him untangle the knots he‟d damn near strangled