Ignis (Book 2, Pure Series) (66 page)

           
Agreeing to put on a sham chase with Anton no longer seemed to be a good plan—or even a plan I could go through with.

           
"Tongue-tied?" Anton said with an unpleasant smile.
 
"Like I always say, I have that effect on a lot of women."

           
I suddenly felt a strong desire to run, and I stifled a hysterical laugh—running was exactly what I was here to do.

           
Anton continued.
 
"Since you're not in a very talkative mood this evening, I suppose it will up to me to sustain the conversation.
 
I must confess, however, that I am disappointed that you have come back here.
 
I had hoped you would take my advice and stay home.
 
Since you
have
come here, I've been forced to keep an eye on you again, and it's been exhausting.
 
There have been even more attempts on you in Krov than there were in Elspeth's Grove."

           
"You've been—been—"

           
"I've been looking out for you, yes," Anton said.
 
"You know, this village is a dangerous place at this particular time.
 
And you seem to have a knack for getting yourself right into the thick of all the trouble.
 
Our meeting here is a good example of that."

           
I drew in a ragged breath and tried to force myself to be calm.

           
"You're here for real, aren't you?" I said when I was at last able to speak a complete sentence.

           
A look of genuine confusion flickered across Anton's face.

           
"I'm sorry?" he said.
 
"I'm not imaginary if that's what you mean.
 
I'm definitely very solid."

           
"I mean this isn't a trap, is it?" I asked.
 
"A circumstance that sprang up that you'll take advantage of?"

           
"I still don't know what you're talking about," Anton said.

           
"You're not going to kidnap me and turn me over to the Werdulac, are you?"

           
"Oh, so that's what you're getting at."
 
Anton seemed amused.
 
"No, of course not.
 
And if I
were
going to do such a thing I would hardly stand around talking with you.
 
I would have carried you off already.
 
You would never even have seen me coming."

           
"That's reassuring," I said.

           
"I told you," Anton said.
 
"I'm with the good guys—such as they are."
 
He gave me a sardonic smile.
 
"Sorry—I'm afraid I'm always going to have to add a qualifier whenever I try to cast our little community of vampires as the heroes."

           
We stood for a moment in silence, and Anton glanced around.

           
"You many not know this," Anton said,
 
"but the hybrids are on the move now.
 
Their lead bloodhound Timofei Mstislav is already on the scent.
 
We had better get this show started."

           
He paused.
 
"Are you waiting for me to lunge at you, or what?"

           
The thought of Anton lunging for me sent a flash of panic through me that I had to fight off.

           
"Innokenti said we should go to the old keep in the Pure Woods," I said with as much calm as I could summon.
 
"I don't know where the keep is."

           
"I should have thought that was obvious," Anton said.
 
"You said yourself it was in the Pure Woods."

           
"I don't know where in the woods it is," I replied, irritated.

           
It was strange to be afraid of Anton and angry with him at the same time.

           
"I knew what you meant," Anton said.
 
"I'm exasperating, aren't I?"

           
I stifled an angry reply—this was not the time to get distracted by an argument.

           
"I also can't see very well in the dark," I said, "and I forgot to bring a flashlight."

           
"This is your lucky night," Anton said, grinning.
 
"I happened to anticipate your very human difficulties, and I brought something that will help."

           
He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out something small and glowing.

           
"Take off your gloves and hold out your hands," he said.

           
Quickly, I did as he asked.

           
"Now cover this as soon as it touches your skin," Anton said.
 
"You don't want to let this get away just yet."

           
He placed the glowing object into my outstretched hands, and I swiftly cupped one hand over the other.
 
Golden light streamed out from between my fingers, and something fluttered softly against my hands—it felt like I was holding a butterfly.

           
"What is it?" I asked.

           
"I believe you would call it a 'will-o'-the wisp,'" Anton said, pronouncing the last word in English.
 
"Also known as
ignis fatuus
, or 'foolish fire.'
 
The greatest pleasure of this delightful little creature is to lead people astray.
 
This one is a friend of mine.
 
He's agreed to help us out."

           
"Ignis," I murmured.
 
"There's that word again.
 
Sacer ignis exitus mundi
.
 
The world will end in holy fire."

           
Anton looked at me in surprise.
 
"Where did you hear that?"

           
"From Innokenti," I replied.

           
"There are many interpretations of that saying," Anton said, his tone unexpectedly serious as he echoed Innokenti's sentiments on the topic.
 
"Some people think it means either a famous sword, or simple fire itself, can defeat even the most dangerous of enemies.
 
Others take a more metaphorical approach and think that 'holy fire' refers to the fire of a courageous heart.
 
I think something different—I think the saying can be interpreted literally.
 
The world
will
end—for us anyway, for vampires—not for humans.
 
Ultimately we will all burn and die.
 
There is no magic, no fire of any kind that will defeat our enemies.
 
There will come a day when all of us cease to exist."

           
"That's horrible," I said.

           
Amusement glimmered in Anton's eyes.
 
"You think so?
 
I imagine that most humans, if they knew about us, would be glad to be rid of us."

           
Anton glanced around and then went on with some urgency.
 
"You know, we'd really better get moving.
 
As I said this particular will-o'-the-wisp is a friend of mine.
 
He'll lead you to the old keep."

           
"You're sure about that?" I asked.
 
"He won't lead me astray?"

           
"No, he won't," Anton said with a smirk.
 
"This one owes me a favor—a big favor.
 
He'll lead you to the keep safely, and he's also agreed to use his power to give you a little more speed.
 
That's why it was necessary for you to hold him in your bare hands—that allows the transfer of power.
 
The effect will only be temporary, however."

           
"So what do I do?" I asked.

           
"Just let him go," Anton said, "and then follow him."
 
He gave me a wolfish grin.
 
"I promise I'll make the chase look good."

           
I wasn't sure I liked the sound of that.

           
I opened my hands, and a golden, luminous sphere leapt up into the air.
 
I thought I saw a tiny figure hovering in the center of the glow, but before I could get a good look at it, the sphere bounced off, and hung in the air a few yards away.

           
Anton held out a hand.
 
"After you."

           
The will-o'-the-wisp was not terribly far away, so I simply walked toward it.
 
I was just close enough to reach out and touch it, when it suddenly darted away.

           
I ran after it.

           
The will-o'-the-wisp moved with dizzying speed, and somehow, startlingly, I found myself able to stay just behind it.
 
I could feel energy running through me that surely must have been transmitted by the will-o'-the-wisp.

           
All around me was dark, despite the snow, and the golden glow ahead of me was the only real source of light I had.
 
The will-o'-the-wisp bounced and danced and gamboled in the night, and I was overcome with a strong desire to possess it.
 
I had the feeling that the light was the key to a great treasure—if I could catch the will-o'-the-wisp, it would lead me to a horde of gold and riches that glowed as brightly as the little creature did.
 
I forced myself to shake the feeling off.

           
I knew I couldn't afford to get lost in the fantasy the will-o'-the-wisp was spinning.

           
I chased the dancing light across the Wasteland, and it seemed as if there was nothing and no one left in the world but me and the will-o'-the-wisp.
 
I glanced behind me, looking for Anton, but all I could see was darkness.
 
I panicked—what if the will-o'-the-wisp had led me the wrong way?
 
What if we had shaken off Anton and were no longer headed toward the keep?

           
What if the will-o'-the-wisp could not be trusted?

           
Suddenly, there was a snarl in my ear, and I glimpsed a flash of glittering eye and sharp teeth.

           
I cried out, and mocking laughter echoed around me.

           
I realized that I hadn't lost Anton, and even though that was technically a good thing, I couldn't help running even faster.

           
The will-o'-the-wisp danced on, always tantalizingly just out of reach, and Anton continued to make his presence known from time to time in the most disconcerting manner possible.

           
Eventually, I spied the ghostly pallor of the Pure Woods looming in the distance up ahead of the bouncing will-o'-the-wisp.

           
Soon we plunged into the trees.

           
The will-o'-the-wisp led me on a dangerous chase, darting close to the petrified tree trunks that loomed suddenly out of the dark and veering away at the last possible moment.
 
Incredibly, I found myself able to follow the will-o'-the-wisp's treacherous, tortuous path, and I slipped through the trees without so much as a scratch from an outstretched branch.

           
We ran at breakneck speed deeper and deeper into the woods.
 
Before long, we had crossed into territory that I did not recognize—the woods were far larger than I had realized.

           
I followed the golden sphere of light into an expansive clearing, and by the light of the luminous trees, I could see a dark shape on the top of a hill.
 
A round, stone cylinder of a building reached up to the sky—it was a solitary tower.

           
I realized we had reached our destination—the tower before me must be the keep.

           
I then realized with a jolt that I had seen the keep before.
 
Back in Elspeth's Grove I had had a dream about this keep—and about being chased by Anton.

           
I had also dreamed that I had fallen from the keep to what had surely been my death.
 
Of course, in dreams no one ever really died.
 
But parts of my dream had turned out to be real.
 
What if it would all turn out to be real?

           
Fear began to gnaw at me.

           
The will-o'-the-wisp darted around to the other side of the keep and vanished from my sight.
 
I hurried after it and was just in time to see the golden sphere disappear into an open doorway.