Obsidian Ridge - Jess Lebow [103]
It took several months for the stone to cool sufficiently for them to be able to finally go inside. Seeing his minions scurry through the lava tubes deep in the bowels of the citadel reminded him of that time. He and his third wife would take strolls through the tubes often, reminiscing about the places they had traveled and the things they had seen.
When his third wife had become no longer of use to him, he stopped going down to the tubes. His fourth and fifth wives did not care for them, and so he all but forgot they were there. He doubted any of his wives since then had ever even seen them.
A stabbing pain shot through the neck of one of his assassins, and his reminiscing came to an end. His minion was struggling, and for some reason it couldn't get its mouth open. There was something in the lava tube with it.
A second pain shot across his minion's face, and suddenly its sight went out.
The creature was still alive, that much Xeries knew. He could sense its pain, but he couldn't see anything through its eyes. The creature was confused. It thrashed around, trying to get its balance, not understanding why it couldn't see.
Through the assassin's ears, Xeries heard Quinn's voice.
"Time to go to work."
Another pain shot through the beast's body, and Xeries winced. Waving his hand, he severed the magical connection he had with the creature. It was dying, and he did not need to see the end.
His other minions circled back. Responding to his commands, they raced through the tubes toward the dying assassin. It did not take them long to arrive at the spot, but when they did, Quinn was already gone.
Left in his place were piles of tortured, mangled black flesh, cut from the bones of the assassin and laid out on the floor to spell the words, You're next.
+++++
Quinn stalked his prey through a very narrow corridor. They had to know he was following. They had abandoned their usual ritual of stopping to sniff the air and searching the cracks as they passed. No, they were headed somewhere-or rather, they were leading him someplace where they could fight at an advantage.
It did not bother Quinn that he was being led to an ambush. He was ready to finish this and get to the real business at hand. Let them come after him. Let them try to corner him. Let them throw a hundred of their best at him.
He would take them all.
Up ahead, pulses of bright orange light came into the passage. The closer they got to it, the more the walls hummed and vibrated. He could feel the bones inside his skin rattle. Ever since arriving, Quinn had noticed the slight vibration in the floors and walls. Where he stood now, the shaking was not slight.
Whatever it was that moved this place, made it vibrate so, was waiting right up ahead.
The creatures stopped at the edge of the passage and looked back, as if they were waiting for Quinn to catch up, then they stepped through, toward the orange light, and disappeared from view.
Making his way cautiously to the end of the tube, Quinn peered out into the chamber beyond. It was a huge, open area, at least as large as Xeries's throne room. In the center, three man-sized rubies hovered in midair. Jagged bolts of magical energy pulsed through them, bouncing back and forth between pedestals on the ground and what looked like a series of magical staves attached to the ceiling.
Each time a pulse of magic passed through a ruby, it sent out a glare of orange light that shone from the reflective, chipped surfaces all around the room. The gemstones moved quickly back and forth, seeming to hum a deep tune. All three had hit the same note, and it was this sound that was making the entire citadel vibrate.
On the floor at the base of one of the rubies, Quinn caught sight of the assassins he had been stalking. They had stopped, all four of them,