Carpathian 23 - Dark Storm by authors_sort Page A

fierce hunter and well adapted to stalking in caves.
    The tube didn’t have any tributaries, not any that Dax could see, or that he’d ever
     found, yet the dragon sensed that the vampire hadn’t continued along the tube, which
     meant he’d found another way through the mountain—or was disguised and lying in wait
     for his enemy.
    Dax went still, reaching for his dragon senses. The undead was a repulsive, loathsome
     stench in the home of the Old One. The creature of myth and legend found the presence
     of a creature so against nature to be abhorrent. The fact that Mitro was in his home
     had the dragon outraged.
    The stench was strongest to his right. Dax studied the rock outcropping. The wall
     was dark reds, yellow and deep brown. He could detect no hint of Mitro tampering with
     the wall itself. He experimented with moving slowly, inch by inch, his patience at
     odds with the dragon’s growing emotions of hostility toward the unwelcome abomination
     in his home.
    The hunt took patience, something the dragon had never had to really develop. Dax
     skimmed along the rock wall, allowing the mist to touch the various colors and settle
     into the cracks, examining them to see if there was an opening too small to see. Nothing.
     He moved lower, taking in every inch of the wall. The tube sloped downward, coming
     to the floor in a relatively smooth overlap. Again there was no sign of Mitro, but
     he was beginning to feel a sense of urgency.
    Dax knew from centuries of experience that when a hunter felt that sudden push, it
     meant his prey was close and up to no good. He waited a few heartbeats, going still
     again, getting a feel for the tube and anything that might be out of place. The overhead
     ceiling was mottled with grays, blues and deep rust colors. The floor was yellow and
     brown, chunks of rocks scattered everywhere. Small flecks of gray, blue and rust dusted
     the top of three of the rocks directly below him.
    Dax turned his attention to the ceiling, the mist moving in close, pressing against
     the mottled rock. The surface was much smoother here, the tiny cracks and crevices
     harder to discern. As mist, he could seep into the little spaces, going as deep as
     possible before they dead-ended, and he could examine large portions of the ceiling
     at the same time.
    Clever, clever Mitro. There was a pinhole, so small only a tiny bore worm would be
     able to insert itself into that dot, but the moment the mist touched it, Dax felt
     the familiar pull that told him he was not only on the trail, but was very close.
     He moved deeper inside that small opening and almost immediately it widened in circumference.
     The worm had grown to enormous proportions, burrowing through the rock and then pushing
     any flakes to the side. A few had escaped through that little pinhole and landed on
     the rocks below.
    Many times over the centuries, Mitro had worked at finding his way out, burrowing
     close to the shield set in place by Arabejila so many years earlier. The vampire at
     times had managed to weaken the barrier when the women had become less powerful, but
     once the ritual was performed, that safeguard held. Clearly, now that the volcano
     was close to exploding, and the woman was late, Mitro was making another try.
    With great stealth, Dax seeped through the ever-widening hole. The larger the bore
     worm, the more efficient and faster he could go through the rock. Mitro expanded his
     worm the moment he thought it safe to do so. It was a brilliant and cunning plan.
     Dax would never have found that tiny pinhole on his own. The stench of the vampire
     was too strong everywhere, especially in the lava tube. Mitro had made certain his
     presence was known in every corner and chamber underground. He knew it was his best
     defense.
    Dax wasn’t in the least surprised that Mitro had managed to bore a great distance
     through, up to the barrier itself. He was finding it hard going once he hit the shield.
     It may have