Foot by foot, the werewolves moved slowly along the tree-line that followed the edge of the lake. Suddenly Vesper appeared in front of them, his hand held up to stop them.
Antton tilted his head then relayed Vesper's non-verbalized words to the others. ::Dante thinks the cabin, which is all it is, is a ruse. He senses natural caverns beneath it but hasn't gone inside yet to confirm it. Fedor entered and hasn't left. So far, Mag is fine, if unconscious. Dante couldn't determine if he's enthralled as well.::
::What are we going to do?:: Brand asked, wondering if they could hear him.
::We can,:: Randulf reassured him.
::Why can't Fedor hear us?:: Brand asked.
::Because I'm shielding our mind-speaking,:: Randulf replied.
::We'll split up,:: Antton said. ::Randulf, you stay with Brand and go to the back of the cabin. Wait until I give you the order to enter. Dante says there are shuttered windows on all four sides, and only one door, in front. Ulrik, you take the left side, I'll take the right, Vesper and Dante will go in first since as far as Fedor knows, they're the only ones who followed him. Of course, Fedor probably suspects we're not too far behind.:: He turned his attention directly on Brand. ::"Something I should have asked long before this. Can you sense vampires in your werewolf form?::
Brand nodded. ::I know where Dante is, about five hundred feet from us. There aren't any in the cabin but that's as far as my senses reach at the moment. If there are some in the cavern, I probably won't know where or how many until we enter it.::
::That's good enough for now. All right, gentlemen, shall we?::
The werewolves fanned out, moving stealthily to their assigned locations. When Brand and Randulf reached the rear of the cabin, they waited for Antton's order to enter.
::According to Dante, the entrance to the lower level and the cavern is a trapdoor. There's a chair attached to it to hide its location. He and Vesper have already gone down to the cavern's entrance. It's in a small cave. I have the visual.::
Brand saw the picture and wondered how he was going to teleport there, to say the least of into the cabin. 'Should have known' was his instant answer when Randulf gripped his shoulder gently with his jaws. Seconds later they were standing with the others, surrounded by what appeared to be impenetrable rock walls.
::Randulf, Brand, shift please,:: Antton said.
They did. Then at Antton's request, Brand opened his senses, searching for the presence of vampires. He understood why he was supposed to do that when he realized the ones he felt were all to his left. "The…" What he was going to say was interrupted by Antton telling him to think it instead of speaking. ::There are four vampires behind here.:: He walked over to touch the cave wall.
::Guarding the entrance, one would presume,:: Ulrik said. ::Now, how to open it.::
Antton paced over, sniffing the wall. Then he nodded, placing one paw just below one of several rocky protrusions. ::If I'm not mistaken, when I push on this, the wall will swing open, so be ready.::
Antton did as he had said and they burst through the widening space when a section of the wall moved. They were in a second, larger cave with a wooden door set into a paneled wall at the far end. Between them and it, just as Brand had predicted, there stood four vampires. Whether the vampires had expected them or were there just as a precaution didn't matter. They attacked with a vengeance, using clawed fingernails, fangs, and weapons in an attempt to repel the invaders.
Dante and Vesper closed in on the largest of their foes, while Antton bit, snapped, and clawed the second of the four, managing to bring him to the ground.
::Brand, your weapon would come in handy right now.::
Brand skittered past Ulrik, who was holding his own against the third vampire. Closing in on Antton's prey, he lifted his now unsheathed sword and brought it down on the vampire's neck, decapitating him. Then Brand swung around, looking for who needed his help next.
Randulf was obviously toying with his chosen vampire, feinting blows while dancing lightly out of his reach seconds later. The frustrated vampire angrily took to the air. With a gleeful laugh, Randulf grabbed his feet, whirling him around to slam him into the stone wall. "Ouch, I bet that hurt," he commented when the vampire's head split open like a cracked egg. "Still, better safe than sorry." With a quick twist, he tore the vampire's head from his body.
Brand heard Dante mutter, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall," and saw him and Vesper double-team their vampire, tumbling him to the floor. He was beside them seconds later, his sword hissing as it cut through the air and into the vampire's neck. Dante thanked him, while wiping away blood from the deep scratches in one of his arms. Vesper had fared a bit worse. The right side of his face was lacerated, as was his shoulder under his tattered shirt. "The bastard needed a good manicure," Vesper muttered, tearing off what remained of his shirt to sop up the blood. That was hardy necessary because, even as Brand watched, his wounds began to heal.
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