Chapter 2

Almost thirty minutes later, a silver Ducati Diavel coasted into my garage. As soon as it was in, I pulled the chain that lowered the door. The biker rolled to a stop beside my own Harley and killed the engine.

The bike wasn't one of the classic Diavel's from the first run back in the eighties. It was one of the newer models from their new relaunch, a beast of a machine that could leave my own WLA in the dust.

Of course, the bike wouldn't be for sale until the fall. But waiting until something was publicly available wasn't in the nature of the Raith family. That was something I'd learned early on.

I turned, and eyed the girl atop the cruiser. She was covered in form fitting leather from the neck down that left little to the imagination. The jacket and pants were riding leather with armor built in. Knowing the girl and her family, it wouldn't be just for road rash.

There was a large bag strapped across her back, larger than any sane biker would wear at the high speeds she must have taken to get there so quickly. It would take an unnatural sense of balance just to stay upright; the type of balance that came natural to a vampire of the White Court.

As I watched, the girl shrugged off her white helmet, and took in the Lampad standing in the corner.

"Damn," Anya Raith said, her gray eyes shifting toward me as she arched a dark and delicate eyebrow at me. "She really is the spitting image of Violet."

"Anya, meet Rose," I said, nodding toward the Lampad.

"Rose?" the White Court Vampire asked as she turned back to the Lampad.

"Seemed appropriate."

I'd originally named Violet not after the flower, but after the flames of her torch. Her hair and eyes were similar shades of purple, and she seemed to favor the color. The name seemed fitting.

She had presented me with a crystal flower to symbolize the debt she owed me, but I hadn't realized at the time that it was, in fact, a violet. When I learned that the flower was actually her favorite, the name took on a deeper meaning.

Her sister, with her lush carmine hair and sharp sanguine eyes, would make a good Rose.

That, and in the short time I'd known her, she'd proven herself to be quite thorny.

The Lampad looked between us, a slight frown creasing her forehead. "This is who you were waiting for?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Anya snapped, her eyes sparking with silver as she glared at the Lampad.

"Anya," I said in warning, before turning back to the Lampad. "She's a friend of mine and Violet's. She's willing to help your sister, and she's more than capable of pulling her weight in a fight."

"Do you think she will make a difference against a mágos?" the Lampad asked, clearly not impressed.

"Look, I told you this is out of our league," I growled, forgetting my own caution. "We'll do the best we can. If you don't like it, if you don't think we can handle it, then by all means, find us some help."

I'd done my best to do just that in the short time I'd had. After leaving a voicemail on Q's cell, I'd called Anya and given her a quick breakdown of the situation. To my surprise, the lust vampire was willing to face a dark wizard a lot faster than I had been. She'd agreed to help in the blink of an eye, and set out for my place as soon as she could gather some supplies.

After that, I'd made what calls I could. I'd left a message for Ms. Gard at Monoc Securities, and another with a Fear Dearg I knew named Bailey. There were several practitioners in town that I'd met over the years that I considered calling, but none of them would be of much help against a full fledged wizard.

I'd even broken down and tried calling the resident Wizard of Chicago. The only number I had for him was his work number (he's in the phone book), but something was wrong with his answering machine. It kept looping in the recorded greeting rather than letting me leave a message. I'd left word with a mutual acquaintance instead, but Detective Murphy hadn't called me back yet.

The rest of my time had been spent preparing for the trip. I had my own duffel bag of supplies in the corner, filled to the seams with every weapon and tool I could find. I'd donned my own black leathers, all of which were made of Balaur skin that had been enchanted by armor smiths over at Monoc. The jacket, pants, boots and gloves were all fire proof, and had stopped everything else they'd come into contact with over the years. They looked off-the-rack thanks to the efforts of the Monoc smiths, but were a thousand times more durable. Even blades — and theoretically, bullets — should be no match for the leather.

Despite our armament, the Lampad eyed Anya and I doubtfully, clearly unimpressed, nor confident in our abilities. But as they say, beggars can't be choosers. After a moment, she gave a final nod, and gestured for us to join her.

I retrieved my bag, and then joined Anya at the Lampad's side. The punky vampire shot me a reassuring wink, the silver of one eye flashing along with the curling argent tattoo along the right side of her face. I knew from experience that the tattoo continued well past the collar of her jacket, winding its way across her body and down her arms and legs.

She'd let her hair grow out a bit since I'd first met her over a year prior. Previously, her dark locks had been nothing more than stubble across her scalp. Now she had what might be called a messy boy cut, taking inspiration from that chick bounty hunter movie that'd come out a few years prior.

"Keep hold of the torch until we are in the Way," the Lampad said, even as she turned her wrist to bring said torch back from wherever it went. It was like watching reality twist around her hand, revealing what was always there, even when it wasn't.

I reached out tentatively, having had some experience with a Lampad torch in the past. The thing had driven me nearly mad, and only the timely intervention of an ally had prevented me from giving in to the crazed flames.

Anya had no such worries, and touched it without a second thought.

Seeing her not burst in maniacal laughter was reassuring. I took hold of the torch as well, only flinching somewhat as I did. After a moment, I gave a soft sigh of relief.

Fo̱tísei to drómo.

My body tensed, and I looked to Rose in alarm. She seemed to be surprised as well.

"Is that…? Are we okay?" I asked somewhat urgently. The lid of the small snakewood box in my jacket's breast pocket popped open, and Sal looked out with interest.

"It is fine," the Lampad said softly, her curious look not on me but on her torch.

"What?" Anya asked, looking between the two of us. "What did I miss?"

"You didn't hear that?" I asked.

"Hear what?"

Fo̱tísei to drómo.

I let go of the torch and wiped my hand on my pants leg. Sal looked up at me, his little head tilted in what I took to be confusion. I just shook my head and puffed a heavy breath through my pursed lips as I tried to calm down.

"It is fine, Woody Hayes," Rose said, frowning at me.

"Yeah, I don't think so," I said quickly. "The last time I touched one of those things and it started saying that, it nearly drove me insane."

Her sanguine eyes fell to my right hand. It was bare save for the jewelry I wore. "It most likely sensed the power of Violet's torch through your ring."

I glanced at the bone-white band on my right hand. I'd touched that same hand to the torch. Maybe she was right.

"We must go," the Lampad insisted. "Touch the torch, and do not let go until we are in the Way."

Rather than trying for a repeat performance, I reached out with my left hand and held the shaft of the slim lantern. Nothing sounded in my head.

"Let us go," Rose said. Before either of us couple reply, the world shifted with a flicker of red light. My mind had an impression of flame turning around us, even though there was none, save for the fire burning atop the torch.

It was like being in a carmine kaleidescope. The world broke into shards of light, each spinning around each other in an alien and yet familiar fashion, before settling back into place. My head spun, unable to comprehend what I'd seen.

Whatever it was, it was fast. And when it was over, we were no longer in my garage.

I blinked as I looked around. Despite my trepidation at touching the torch, I had been excited to get my first glimpse of the Never-never. I'd heard fantastic things about it, and knew that worlds beyond imagination existed parallel to our own.

After a moment, I found myself to be… sorely disappointed.

The four of us were in a tunnel. That much I could make out. The round passage was about seven feet wide and tall, not leaving much room to spare. The edges were roughly hewn, as if some giant earthworm had burrowed through the ground. The coral light from the torch extended out a short distance, revealing the odd stretch of exposed root or partially submerged rock in the turf.

Beyond the furthest reach of the light was only darkness.

"You may let go of the torch," Rose said crisply, as if irritated that the two of us had obeyed her instructions so thoroughly.

Anya and I both released it at the same time, timidly looking around the narrow passage. Even Sal's head was on a swivel as he looked at our surroundings with a mild curiously. My attention was on the edge of the light, where it appeared that the tunnel simply disappeared into nothingness.

It was unnatural. Light defuses over space. With the flames flickering atop the torch, we should have been able to see a good thirty feet of tunnel at least, with the rest fading into the distance.

Instead, the light shone half that, before ending in a wall of black.

"Stay in the light," Rose said simply, before starting down the path.

Anya and I quickly moved with her, an innate fear of the dark urging me forward.

"Why is the light like that?" I asked, even as Anya took out her cell phone. I almost made a crack about trying to find cell service in the Never-never, but the pretty girl simply activated the flashlight app on the phone and shone it toward the darkness trailing behind us.

The light from the phone fared no better than the torchlight.

"Stay in the light," Rose repeated as Anya lagged dangerously behind. "It will light the way."

Fo̱tísei to drómo.

I tensed, looking quickly to the lantern that I was definitely not touching.

Rose arched an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Unaware of the voice that was suddenly making a home for itself in my head, Anya stepped closer, and together we made our way through the tunnel.

With my excitement over seeing the Never-never thoroughly quenched, and nothing but an endless subterranean tunnel to look at, my mind quickly returned to dwelling on Violet.

"Tell me what we're getting ourselves into," I asked as the tunnel turned toward the left before straightening out again. I needed to concentrate on something other than my worry.

"Two days ago, the mágos was attacked by his own people," Rose explained as the tunnel began a subtle descent. "He was gravely injured, but survived the encounter through unnatural means."

"What happened to the others?" Anya asked as she skipped forward again. That trailing darkness was enough to make anyone self conscious of being left behind.

"One of them died," the Lampad said, her tone dispassionate. "The mágos fled from the rest."

"So where does your Hound come into it?"

"The mágos was near death," Rose said curtly. "The Hound was sent to retrieve his soul, to carry him to his Judgment."

"I take it that's when things took a turn?"

"Indeed," Rose confirmed. "Rather than taking the mágos' soul, the Hound was bent to his will."

"What does that mean?" Anya asked as the tunnel began to twist around to the right. At some point we had started ascending again.

"The Hound serves him, rather than fulfilling its purpose," Rose stated bluntly, her tone indicating as much should be obvious. Anya stiffened at the prim tone, but the Lampad continued. "The mágos has begun to use the Hound to enslave others to his will."

"How?" I asked, alarmed.

"I do not know," Rose replied softly, sounding for the first time unsure of herself. "No mortal should have such power over a servant of Hades."

I wasn't sure if she was referring to a place or a person when she said that. It might have been both, which made me wonder about the magnitude of the magical world I barely understood.

"And what about Violet?" I asked, my pulse quickening as I did. The nervous feeling I'd had all day continued to churn in my stomach. I didn't recall feeling anything the night before, but I'd made it an early night. Had the link between Violet and I been sharing something of her situation?

"Yesterday, the mágos faced off against those that came for him," Rose said, ignoring my question. "He injured one, and took another two with him, bending them to his will as he did the Hound."

"Wait, wait," I said, drawing us to a halt. Rose turned to look at me, impatience flashing across her face. "Are you telling me that he's got two other wizards with him now, along with the Hound and Violet?"

"Yes," she said irritably. She frowned. "Were you not listening?"

"You said we were going up against a wizard," I replied. "Not three."

"One. Three. It does not matter," Rose argued. "The Hound must be recovered."

I pinched my nose, and wondered if the torches made the Lampads a little insane as well. "Freakin' nymph can't count," I muttered under my breath.

"There are others on the island that may be able to assist you," Rose said as she resumed walking. As she did, the light shifted, and I looked to where Anya flinched away from the darkness.

While we'd been stopped, the punky vampire had approached the edge of the light. When we resumed walking, she held something out to me. I took it, and saw that it was a small slim knife she'd pulled out of somewhere. As tight as her outfit was, I wasn't sure I wanted to know where.

Only, when I looked at the blade, I could see where at least an inch was missing. The tip had been sheered off, leaving behind a smooth stub. I looked at it, and then to her. She nodded toward the darkness, her eyes wide.

The darkness had cut the steel.

Or worse, the steel had simply ceased to exist beyond the light.

The two of us stepped a little closer to Rose, crowding around the middle of the path.

"So, uh," I said, trying to regain my thoughts. "You were finally getting around to telling us about Violet."

"Last night, the mágos began using the Hound to take control of others," Rose said. If she noticed our exchange, or the state of the blade, she didn't let it show. "He bound the two wizards to his will, enthralling them. Such a thing is a blasphemy that cannot be allowed.

"Violet was sent to retrieve the Hound," she continued, as we suddenly came to a fork in the path. Rose turned down one tunnel, and Anya and I quickly followed.

"And you said she was enslaved, just like the Hound," I finished.

"Yes," Rose said tersely, as if the very idea was offensive. Which it probably was. If she thought bending a Hound against its will was bad, what would she think of that happening to one of her sisters?

"After he bound Violet, his profanities grew," she said. "They have worked through the night, drawing more to their side."

"Where is Chios, exactly?" I asked.

"Greece," Anya said, surprising me. At my glance, she gave a shrug. "The family has as history in the Mediterranean, and holdings throughout the region."

"It is an island to the far east," Rose explained further. "It lies close to the land you call Turkey. And it is the home of the mágos."

Great. So, to recap, the powerless mortal and still-in-her-training-wheels vampire were going up against three wizards, a Lampad, a Hound, and whoever else they'd enthralled, all in the bad guy's home town.

What could possibly go wrong?

"Wait," I said, thinking back. "You said something about others that might be able to help?"

"The White Council was hunting the mágos," Rose explained as we came across another crossroads, this time turning right. "When the first team failed, a second was dispatched."

"Why didn't you say so?" I asked, perplexed. "For that matter, why are you bothering with us?"

"We cannot count on the mági succeeding where they have already failed," Rose said darkly. "And we cannot risk sending anyone else that might be taken. This mágos has done the impossible; were he to gain more of us to his service, he may quickly grow unstoppable."

That was a terrifying thought. A Lampad, easily the most powerful being I'd ever met, in the hands of a dark wizard. And with an army of them…

I shivered, and found myself pulling closer to the torch. Not to stay clear of the dark, but ward off the chill that had set me shivering.

"How much farther?" I asked, feeling as if the walls were growing tighter around us.

"Too far," Rose said. "We have much further to travel."

Fo̱tísei to drómo.

The Lampad's pace quickened, and the vampire and I did our best to keep up.

The never-ending tunnels continued on, the path revealing itself only as the torch light passed through, to then disappear once more into the inky black.

The path rose and fell, twisting and turning as we made our way through the Never-never. My mind quickly grew bored by the unchanging surroundings, right up until the wall on the right dropped away. The light revealed the barest edge of what might have been a cavern, had we been able to see more than just a few feet out. The drop looked sheer, and when combined with the relentless dark that surrounded our journey, it left me wondering if a step in the wrong direction might result in a fall that was as endless as the night.

But then I remembered the knife blade, and realized it would most likely be the shortest sort of fall.

Despite the danger, I eventually became numb to it. Perhaps it was the constant threat of imminent death if I were to stumble and fall behind, or perhaps it was the worry about Violet that was gnawing away at my stomach. Either way, I found myself wondering why the Lampad hadn't let us bring the motorcycles. Surely we could have proceeded faster with them. And better yet, I wouldn't be exhausted by the time we arrived.

With Anya's help, I calculated that our arrival would most likely be in the new day in Greece. The sun had just set as we left Chicago, and with the difference in time zones, we were going to lose half a day.

But despite my concerns, Rose assured us that we would arrive before the sun rose. When I'd asked how that was possible, given how long we'd been walking, she'd simply shrugged.

"Time is not the same everywhere," she'd said cryptically, before leading us down another tunnel.

Hours passed, which might have been days, before Rose came to an abrupt halt.

I bumped into her, having been following entirely too closely. Anya was more graceful, pivoting around the torch to look at the Lampad, who was staring off at sights unseen.

"We are here," she announced, finally turning back to us.

"Where is here, exactly?" I asked, shifting the bag that I carried. Anya had offered to carry it for me, her superior strength easily managing her own bag. I'd declined, the more chauvinistic part of my brain refusing to acknowledge that I needed the help.

Thankfully, aches and pains were fleeting for me. A little rest would go a long way to restoring me back to full strength.

"We are approximately one hundred yards from my sister and the mágos," Rose said with confidence.

"Right then," I said, dropping the duffel bag to pull out some of the items I'd prefer having ready. "I take it he's up to no good? Doing dark wizard things? Licking other people's cupcakes and the like?" I asked as I donned my leather gloves.

Rose looked off into the distance again. When she turned back, her gaze was as flat as her words. "They are preparing to raise the dead."

"Oh," I said, staring at her. "That's much worse."

"I don't know," Anya said, trying to sound unconcerned as she strapped gun holsters to each thigh. "Licking cupcakes will get you a death sentence in some places."

"We should have brought cupcakes," I replied as I slid a leather sheath across my back. A two foot steel rod was slung inside it, with the rounded pommel sticking out the top. "Maybe we could bribe him? Let the Lampad and the Hound go for a dozen cakes of deliciousness?"

"Two dozen at least," Anya scoffed, shooting me a look.

Rose gave us an incredulous look. "Do you not appreciate how dire these circumstances are?"

"Sure we do," I told her.

"It's just, you know," Anya said with a lopsided grin. "Cupcakes."

Truth be told, I was terrified. So was Anya. Neither of us had ever fought a real wizard before, but we'd heard about them. Demigods, slinging lightning and fire with their bare hands, leaving death and destruction lying in their wake as they waded through the supernatural world without fear.

And those were the good ones.

I had little doubt that I'd be dead in a matter of minutes. Anya might fare better than me. While being a White Court Vampire certainly had its downsides, it gave her a fighting chance. With her speed, strength, agility, and reflexes, she might survive the first minute of combat against a wizard.

Me? I gave myself good odds at fifteen seconds. Maybe twenty if I could get the jump on them.

But Violet was in trouble. And with as much as the three of us had been through in the last year, Anya and I would do whatever was necessary to try and help her.

I cast a glance at the White Court vampire I called my friend, and she shot me a nervous smile before nodding.

I slipped my half helmet over my head, leaving the face-mask dangling to one side. After that, I slid my old glasses on, the enchanted lenses and frame offering me what protection they could.

"Alright," I said, "what are we facing?"

"The mágos is there," Rose said, her eyes distant. "As is my sister, and the Hound." Her forehead crinkled in thought. "There is another. One of the other mági."

"Good guy or bad guy?" I asked as I checked over my armament. The leather bracelet on my right wrist was fully loaded with crystal-capped snaps; dark beaded bracelets encircled both wrists. My pockets were heavy with three pool-ball sized spheres, and a shorter rod jutted out from one. Sheaths on my thighs, calves, and boots carried an assortment of blades, and a pair of under-arm holsters sported two guns: my old Beretta Px4 Storm, as well as its new twin I'd picked up in the last few months. Spare magazines were placed in slots on the holsters and on my belt.

"It is one of those he has taken to his side," Rose warned. "But the others I spoke of are not far. They may be of some assistance."

"Right," I said as I picked up my nearly empty bag. "I take it you'll remain close?"

"Yes," she said with a slight nod. "But when the sun rises, I will be unable to reach you."

Some part of me had know that could be the case. In the years I'd known Violet, she'd only ever come to me at night, or just as dusk had begun. She'd never stayed beyond the sunrise, nor had I seen her in the light of day.

"Well, I guess if we survive, we'll just make our way to the nearest town, and hang out until nightfall."

"Wish I spoke Greek," Anya muttered. "Might help us find some cupcakes after all this is over."

Rose blinked at her, and then turned to me. "I will gift you with that knowledge."

"Uh, what?" I asked, but rather than replying, Rose held her free hand aloft.

A spark of crimson fire leapt from her right index finger, the flickering hues playing off her maroon-colored fingernails. She slowly stretched her hand out to me, until the fire was flickering in front of my face.

I wasn't too worried about being burned. The bone-white ring I wore would prevent any harm coming from flame. Or, at least, it normally would. It had protected me from phoenix fire and dragon flames, but would it protect me from the flames of another Lampad?

Before I could dwell on it, Rose pushed her finger to my lips. "Breath."

I took a breath, and the fire filled my lungs, rolling through me in an instant. I felt a flash of heat, though there was no pain, and then it was gone.

"What did that do?" I asked as the Lampad turned to Anya, extending her hand again. Another swirl of flame danced atop her finger, and the vampire was staring at it as if it might bite her.

"It is knowledge," Rose explained. "The language should not be an issue."

"Oh," I said, watching Anya as she inhaled the fire. She flinched as it passed between her lips, and coughed for a brief moment. Sal poked his head out from the box he resided in, looking excitedly at the Lampad. But despite his hopeful trill, she didn't offer anything to him.

"Alright," I said as Anya blinked away whatever she felt after the experience. "I guess we're ready."

"You have perhaps half an hour before dawn," Rose said, her gaze elsewhere. "Should you recover my sister and the Hound in that time, I will come for you. If not, then they and I will be gone until dusk. I will return to you then."

"Let's hope we'll see you shortly." Anya and I both took hold the of the torch again.

The Lampad nodded, although she didn't look hopeful. "I wish you luck. May Hades guide you, and Hecate bless you in your endeavor."

Light the Way.

The voice sounded in my head as the invisible fires swirled around us, and then the subterranean tunnel broke into millions of pieces of light.