| Chapter Seven: The Shadow of Madness By Richard LeBlanc Deep within the tunnels of what had once been Snake's stronghold and power base - hunting parties hurried through the tunnels in search of Calloway and other possible intruders. "A trail led this way," one vampire stated. Just then Calloway exploded upward from the sand below them. Before they had a chance to react he had killed them all by way of beheading. He knelt over one corpse and began to feed. "That is so gross - even for you," Luther remarked. Calloway looked over his shoulder and glared at the ghost. "I mean - give it up. Your friends they died in the face of this. If Set was with you - he would have spoken or done something - yet - nothing. Face facts hero - this cause was never about Set. That is why he never intervened - never warned," he began. "He did warn," Calloway interrupted. He concentrated on his arm - healing the wounds he had taken plus the ones that reformed on his arm every new night. "Oh yes - the dreams," Luther remarked. "I didn't listen - none of did," he stated. "Keep telling yourself that - maybe some fool like yourself might learn to believe that," Luther chided as he walked by the Setite assassin. "Just so you know - this is the most fun I have had - in over fifty years," he added as he faded away into thin air. Calloway shook his head and continued feeding. "Calloway? Is that you?" a familiar voice asked. He looked over his shoulder and saw Tanya. "Praise be Set it is you," she said as she hurried over and hugged him. "Are you alright?" he asked. "Me? I'll be fine. We have to get out of here. This place isn't safe," she stated. "That much is obvious. Corwin, Cathy and Catrina perished so far. Set willing - they will be the last," he stated as he slowly got up. "Honey - you can't be serious. There are hundreds of these - people here. Even you can't hope to take them all down," she stated seriously. "Hundreds or thousands - if they can bleed they will die," he stated seriously. She reached over and grabbed his arm. "What - is the point? All you have done - all you have sacrificed is here," she began as they looked around. "Look at what it has amounted to. Even with the planning and training - the place still fell," she added. "They were betrayed," he replied. "Betrayed?" she repeated. "I saw it in a dream. Snake was staring at me - he said I betrayed him," he replied. "Honey - this had nothing to do with you. Snake - he made a lot of big mistakes. He stepped on a lot of toes and some of them teamed up and kicked back. This is no betrayal - this is the end result of greed," she replied. "Say what you will - it changes nothing. I have to find Snake and get him out of here," Calloway stated. She almost went cross-eyed hearing him say that. "Okay - hold up. Let me see if I am registering this right. You risked your life - and the lives of others - to sneak into this place - to rescue a man that tried to have you assassinated by Assamites - and almost every werewolf tribe? Is that about the size of it?" she asked seriously. "The man - is not the cause. But regardless of what he has done - he is still part of it. I could no more turn my back on him than I could you," he replied seriously. Tanya sighed as she shook her head. "How do you even know he is alive? These - people - they have been here for almost a week. Planning - waiting and then striking. Look around you? Does anything here look random? This is the end result of decades of planning," she stated. "What makes you say that?" he asked. "You think something like this could be arranged overnight?" she asked as she put her arms around him. "I'm scared Calloway. Not for me though. What happens to me doesn't matter half as much as what might happen to you," she whispered. "I have been in bad spots and I have endured. As many of them as they may have - they are not nearly up to the task of dealing with someone like me," he reassured. "But they trapped the place. I don't want to lose you - not like this," she added. "You would have me turn my back on him?" he asked seriously. "I am asking you - to selfishly think of yourself. You have no idea how important you are. To Set - or - or to me," she replied impassioned. "This cause - this fight - this - ideal. It has been the very core of my being. I can not turn my back on it - and I can not turn my back now. Corwin - Cathy - Catrina - Sally - and all the others. They scream for vengeance - and I alone can hear their cries," he replied calmly. "You think I like this? You think I don't hear their cries? I hated Snake for being the obnoxious back-stabber that he was - but the dancers - they were my family. I had to watch as they were cut down. I - was frozen with fear. There was blinding flashes of light - fire everywhere," she began as Calloway put his arms around her. "I'm sorry," he quietly replied. "You say the cause is important to you - that it is like blood within your veins? Tell me - what good the cause will merit - should you sacrifice yourself in such a way?" she challenged. "I did not make the cause strong," he began. "Neither did Snake! He squandered what he had and abused someone who was five times his better!" she emotionally rebutted. She took a few moments to calm down. "Do you know why - he wanted you dead? Besides the offer? You were too popular. I heard him talking about how you were growing too big - how you might become a threat. He - was looking for an excuse," she added. "I never wanted his power," he stated. "I know that - you know that. He - didn't want to know that. He saw you as a threat. That was why he threw you into those - horrid missions. Yet - every time you went out - you returned. Your fame grew," she began as she walked away and stood by the wall. "Do you - do you have any idea - how it feels to know that the one you love - is in that kind of peril?" she asked seriously. "I know what you are saying. I have heard it before," he began as he walked over to where she was and put his hands around her hips. "But know - that there is nothing Snake can throw against me that can keep me down," he reassured. "He's over here!" a voice shouted. "Stay there," he hissed as he rolled to the side- just barely avoiding dozens of shots. They continued shooting at him but he vanished into an alcove. The hunting party raced over and saw that the alcove was empty. "Gone?" one of them muttered. "He may be hiding. Some of them snakes are sneaky," another of them stated as they began shooting the alcove in every spot a body could fit in. It was then that Calloway appeared behind them from the opposing alcove. Tanya watched as Calloway viciously attacked the hunting party from behind. Before they knew what had hit them - half their numbers had been taken down. She looked away and shook her head as she heard the last of them fall. "Ploys such as that will not work. They have trained people here. People they called in to deal with people like you," she stated quietly. Calloway limped over and put his hand on her shoulder. "Snake sent two of the best after me - they came up short. Anyone that is left should pose little problem," he reassured. She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. "Besides - with you by my side - I don't see how anything can stop me," he added. "We do make a hell of a team," she admitted. "Come - we have to find a safe spot to plan our next move," he began as he led her by the hand away from where the fight happened. "Next move?" she asked. "We have to get to Snake before these maggots do," he replied. "He is probably long gone or dead by now," she rebutted. "I have a hunch that he is still here," he began with a smile. "And I have a hunch where he might be," he concluded as they hurried away. To Be Concluded! |