he was.
You do not want to meet them.
Joie gave a little sniff, her heart slamming hard just once at his tone. He wasn’t joking about his enemies. She took a deep breath and let it out. Isn’t that the truth. Anyone with a lust for killing isn’t going to be invited for Sunday dinner.
She glanced back at her brother and sister, frowning, suddenly afraid for them. What was she getting them all into with her obsessive behavior? She hesitated at the next twisting tunnel. He was so close now, and so was danger. She felt it and she could tell Gabrielle felt it as well. Her sensitive sister pressed her hand hard into her stomach and had a look of fear stamped on her face. Behind her, Jubal had produced a gun, his features hard-edged and sober. They would stand with her, back her up under any circumstances, but she didn’t feel it was right to force them—through their love of her—into a dangerous and unknown situation.
“Let me go in alone, figure out what’s wrong and . . .” She began, mouthing the words rather than speaking them aloud or telepathically. She still didn’t want Traian to be privy to her private conversation with her siblings and she didn’t know how strong his psychic abilities were—but he felt powerful. She had to find the man, but she didn’t trust strangers with her siblings’ lives.
Jubal held up his hand to stop her and indicated with a hand signal for her to proceed. She looked at Gabrielle’s resolute expression. No, they weren’t going to leave her. They were in it together, good or bad, they stood with her. She took a breath, nodded and stepped into the water-carved tunnel.
Bands of green and blue in wide circular stripes surrounded them and ordinarily would have had all three examining the beautifully constructed tube, but the moment they entered the hallway, all of them felt the presence of evil. Joie’s mouth went dry. She touched her belt, assuring herself her knife was close at hand.
I guess I’d best pull your butt out of trouble and get the heck out of Dodge.
Traian sighed. You do not act like any of the women I know.
Thank you, I appreciate your saying so. Her stomach was in knots.
Evil permeated the narrowing hallway, so that every breath drawn in was foul, the air dense—thick with poisonous breath. The tunnel narrowed and the ceiling dropped considerably, making it impossible to walk upright. Joie dropped to her knees and crawled through the tube on her hands and knees. Jubal and Gabrielle followed close behind. The steady drip of water reminded Joie of the clicking of the branches at the theater the night she was shot. There was a peculiar rhythm to the drops, almost as if some unseen hand, not nature, guided the water’s descent. The tube began to widen until she could once again stand.
A strange growling noise assaulted her ears, sounding like a cross between a hyena laughing and a dog growling viciously. Immediately she held up her hand behind her, signaling Jubal and Gabrielle to stop while she scooted closer. She used the tall columns of rock and ice formations as cover as she worked her way into a position to be able to see into the chamber.
A man—and it had to be Traian—was literally pinned like an insect to a wall of ice, his feet actually off the floor. Blood ran down from each shoulder and leg where sharp, twisted stakes had been thrust through his body. It was the most horrific form of torture she’d ever seen. Joie held her breath to keep from crying out in dismay. It was no wonder she could feel the pain radiating from him. Every movement of his body had to be excruciating. Who would do such a thing? And far beneath the earth in an ice cave, it was bizarre, unreal and too cruel.
She could see something that resembled a man—or at least had a man’s shape—prodding at Traian’s wounds with a bony finger, dipping it in blood and licking with a grotesque, purple tongue. A shudder ran through her body.
She forced herself to look at the
You do not want to meet them.
Joie gave a little sniff, her heart slamming hard just once at his tone. He wasn’t joking about his enemies. She took a deep breath and let it out. Isn’t that the truth. Anyone with a lust for killing isn’t going to be invited for Sunday dinner.
She glanced back at her brother and sister, frowning, suddenly afraid for them. What was she getting them all into with her obsessive behavior? She hesitated at the next twisting tunnel. He was so close now, and so was danger. She felt it and she could tell Gabrielle felt it as well. Her sensitive sister pressed her hand hard into her stomach and had a look of fear stamped on her face. Behind her, Jubal had produced a gun, his features hard-edged and sober. They would stand with her, back her up under any circumstances, but she didn’t feel it was right to force them—through their love of her—into a dangerous and unknown situation.
“Let me go in alone, figure out what’s wrong and . . .” She began, mouthing the words rather than speaking them aloud or telepathically. She still didn’t want Traian to be privy to her private conversation with her siblings and she didn’t know how strong his psychic abilities were—but he felt powerful. She had to find the man, but she didn’t trust strangers with her siblings’ lives.
Jubal held up his hand to stop her and indicated with a hand signal for her to proceed. She looked at Gabrielle’s resolute expression. No, they weren’t going to leave her. They were in it together, good or bad, they stood with her. She took a breath, nodded and stepped into the water-carved tunnel.
Bands of green and blue in wide circular stripes surrounded them and ordinarily would have had all three examining the beautifully constructed tube, but the moment they entered the hallway, all of them felt the presence of evil. Joie’s mouth went dry. She touched her belt, assuring herself her knife was close at hand.
I guess I’d best pull your butt out of trouble and get the heck out of Dodge.
Traian sighed. You do not act like any of the women I know.
Thank you, I appreciate your saying so. Her stomach was in knots.
Evil permeated the narrowing hallway, so that every breath drawn in was foul, the air dense—thick with poisonous breath. The tunnel narrowed and the ceiling dropped considerably, making it impossible to walk upright. Joie dropped to her knees and crawled through the tube on her hands and knees. Jubal and Gabrielle followed close behind. The steady drip of water reminded Joie of the clicking of the branches at the theater the night she was shot. There was a peculiar rhythm to the drops, almost as if some unseen hand, not nature, guided the water’s descent. The tube began to widen until she could once again stand.
A strange growling noise assaulted her ears, sounding like a cross between a hyena laughing and a dog growling viciously. Immediately she held up her hand behind her, signaling Jubal and Gabrielle to stop while she scooted closer. She used the tall columns of rock and ice formations as cover as she worked her way into a position to be able to see into the chamber.
A man—and it had to be Traian—was literally pinned like an insect to a wall of ice, his feet actually off the floor. Blood ran down from each shoulder and leg where sharp, twisted stakes had been thrust through his body. It was the most horrific form of torture she’d ever seen. Joie held her breath to keep from crying out in dismay. It was no wonder she could feel the pain radiating from him. Every movement of his body had to be excruciating. Who would do such a thing? And far beneath the earth in an ice cave, it was bizarre, unreal and too cruel.
She could see something that resembled a man—or at least had a man’s shape—prodding at Traian’s wounds with a bony finger, dipping it in blood and licking with a grotesque, purple tongue. A shudder ran through her body.
She forced herself to look at the
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