The blood pumped out as Byron became even more upset. Gregori’s voice softened until it was the wind and the water, the earth itself. “Jacques has exchanged blood with you many times. He can give you his if you prefer to safeguard your pact with him. Do not fear for us; there is no trap the vampire can devise that I cannot unravel. Sleep now, and let us get on with it.” The voice was a command.
Although Byron’s mind was impossible to control, the voice made anyone hearing it want to comply. Byron was exhausted and wracked with pain. He felt his hold on consciousness slipping away. His life was draining away, and he couldn’t convey to them the monstrous, diabolical plot the vampire had outlined to him as he lay so helpless. He could only hope they would figure it out in time. Byron shut down his heart to stop the draining of his blood. His lungs labored for a moment, then, with a little sigh, gave up, and he lay quiet, as if dead.
Gregori breathed a sigh of relief. “I could feel his pain.”
“I have felt it before,” Jacques replied grimly. “He is better off not feeling or knowing until we can see to his wounds.”
“He does not want my blood,” Gregori pointed out in his soft, calm tone. Nothing ruffled him; nothing moved him to emotion. He killed or healed as calmly as he talked.
“I am aware that I have entered into a pact with him. I will honor it,” Jacques said. “Let us find this trap so we can take him out of here. This place is evil.”
Gregori was examining the coffin itself, looking for hidden trip wires or a bomb of some kind. He ran his hand carefully along the outside of the crude wooden box. “The human left here knew nothing; they set him up as expendable. This has to be a death trap.” Very cautiously Gregori inspected the body lying so still. “He is in bad shape. He should have put himself to sleep immediately. He must have wanted to die quickly, or he knew they were expecting us and wanted to warn us. Whatever the answer, the day is creeping upon us fast, and we must get him to a cave where we can supply him with blood and the healing earth he needs.”
“Stand back, healer, and allow me to lift him. He is my friend, although I do not remember him. I can do no other than honor my commitment to him.”
“Go slowly, Jacques. The bomb, if there is one, must be beneath him.” Gregori, instead of moving away, moved closer so that he could grab anything that looked harmful and dispense with it if needed.
Hurry, Gregori. The light grows stronger, and I am uneasy, Mikhail instructed from outside.
Jacques very carefully felt under Byron’s body, a slow, cautious sweep, taking his time as if the morning light was not affecting any of them. The smell of blood assailed his nostrils, and the stench of charred flesh made his stomach lurch. Near Byron’s hips he felt the smallest of resistance. Instantly he stopped. “It is here, Gregori, a trip wire, razor sharp. It is cutting into my wrist. Can you see it? I dare not move until we know if it is connected to some kind of explosive device.”
Gregori crouched low and examined the intricate wiring. “A crude bomb, rather pointless. The vampire knows how easy it would be for me to dismantle it.”
“Perhaps this is a present from the two humans. It is a rather human trap, after all,” Jacques commented, waiting patiently for Gregori to deal with the problem. His superior strength allowed him to hold Byron’s dead weight with one hand and not notice any strain. “Is there a second device? Perhaps the first one is really a dummy.”
Gregori was more than uneasy now. He was a master of deceit, of cunning. This was far too elaborate a plot to have been set up in a matter of an hour. This had been planned for a long time. Someone had waited for the opportune time to carry it out. For what purpose? Mikhail felt uneasy also, as did Jacques. Something here was very wrong, but what was it? Puzzled, he examined the device again, not wanting to miss anything.