Nosferatu felt a blanket of weariness come down over his shoulders. To have come this far and be told so quickly his goal was not attainable was overwhelming.
“Are you hungry?”
Nosferatu weakly nodded.
Tian Dao Lin stood. “Come. There is still enough darkness. We can hunt together.”
Nosferatu spent a week with Tian Dao Lin, feeding and learning of his life. In turn he told the Chinese man of his travels and how things were in the Western world. Sensing that Nosferatu wasn’t satisfied with being denied access to the Airlia by just words, Tian Dao Lin agreed to lead him as far into the mountain lair as he safely could.
Early one evening after rising, Tian Dao Lin led him to the base of the mountain, a half dozen Quarters trailing after them. They passed between two large boulders, each with a statue of a crouching tiger perched on top. They entered a small courtyard, thirty meters wide by fifteen long. At the far end were two large bronze doors covered in writing.
“Are there Watchers here?” Nosferatu asked, remembering how there was always one near the Giza Plateau. He quickly described that situation.
“I have not seen anyone like that,” Tian Dao Lin said. “What about Watcher-Hunters?”
“What are those?”
“Humans who hunt us?”
“I, and my people, have killed some humans who came after me, whether they were Watchers or not, I do not know.”
They stood in front of the doors. “I hired some bandits to open these doors.” Tian Dao Lin swung one a little bit open. “After they breached this, I killed them all to keep the place safe.” He then ordered the Quarters to maintain a watch on the doors.
Tian Dao Lin slid through the open door, Nosferatu following. They were in a large anteroom. The walls were painted with many figures, similar to what Nosferatu had seen in Giza, along some sections of the Roads of Rostau.
A wide tunnel was at the end of the anteroom. Ten meters wide, it ran straight as an arrow into the bowels of the mountain. The workmanship was as superb as that of the Roads, the walls cut smoothly.
They went down about two hundred meters where two smaller tunnels, each going ninety degrees in opposite directions, split off. Nosferatu could see the writing on the walls around the split.
“Warnings,” he said.
Tian Dao Lin nodded. “Yes. Watch.” He walked a little way down the main tunnel. A dim red glow appeared just ahead of him. The glow became a circle, then stretched up and down, narrowing. It took a shape Nosferatu recognized: an Airlia. Pure white skin like ivory, legs and arms longer than a human’s, with a large head covered with flame red hair. The burning red cat eyes looked at them as if the image could see.
“That is the image of my father, Artad,” Tian Dao Lin said.
The right arm rose, its six-fingered hand extended, palm out. The image spoke in the language of the Gods, reiterating what was written on the walls: It was forbidden to enter unless one had the key. Any who tried to pass without it would die.
“And many have died,” Tian Dao Lin said. “If you go farther down this tunnel, there is a beam of light that slices through flesh and bone like a knife through water. None can pass.”
“And down there is where Artad and the other Airlia sleep.” Nosferatu did not make it a question, so Tian Dao Lin did not reply.
So close. Nosferatu could sense the Airlia ahead of and below him. Sleeping in their tubes. With the blood he needed to resurrect Nekhbet in their veins. “What about this key? Any idea where it is?”
Tian Dao Lin shook his head. “None. I have searched far and wide. I fear it might even be down there, with the Airlia. I see no reason why they would leave it outside.”
“What about the other tunnels?”
“The one to the left has an air shaft crossing it, very small, which dead-ends at stone. The one to the right — I will show you.”
They backed up and took the right-hand tunnel. They went straight and down for a little way, then the passageway began weaving back and forth in wide turns and descending at a steeper angle. The tunnel suddenly began to widen, then opened into a large chamber, the far end of which Nosferatu could not see. As soon as they stepped out of the tunnel into the chamber, a dim glow came alive far above their heads.
As the glow grew brighter, Nosferatu put his hand up to shade his eyes. “What is this place?”
The glow was soon as bright as the sun, and Nosferatu closed his eyes to mere slits.
“It is where they have stored much of their riches,” Tian Dao Lin said.
Nosferatu could see they were in a massive cavern, the roof of which was supported by metal beams. The room had to take up the entire interior of the base of the mountain, he realized. The floor was covered with numerous large black rectangular containers.
“I have tried to get into them, but never succeeded,” Tian Dao Lin said.
“Are there no guards?” Nosferatu asked. “In the Roads of Rostau there is a beast that prowls the tunnels and kills interlopers.”
“Just the trap far down the main tunnel,” Tian Dao Lin said. “Look.”
Another red glow appeared in front of them. It coalesced into another Airlia form. The figure began to speak but many of the terms it used were unfamiliar to Nosferatu. He realized it was probably giving an inventory of what was stored there as several times it mentioned amounts and numbers and pointed at various containers.
“I am sorry,” Tian Dao Lin suddenly said, catching Nosferatu by surprise. “Sorry for what?”
“That you cannot get what you came for. That you cannot return and rescue your love, Nekhbet.”
Nosferatu backed up into the tunnel, Tian Dao Lin joining him. The light from the chamber dimmed, leaving them in their darkness. They headed back up the tunnel.
“Will you stay here?” Nosferatu asked Tian Dao Lin. “This is my home.”
“Will you watch this place?”
“Yes.” Tian Dao Lin knew what Nosferatu was getting at. “If there is a change, if we can get to the lower level, I will let you know. Where will you go?”
That was an interesting question as Nosferatu had no idea what his next move was to be. “I will go back to the west.” He did not tell Tian Dao Lin that he planned to go into the deep sleep, as the other did not have a black tube, nor seemed to know of their existence. “I will seek out Aspasia’s Shadow and try to learn more.”
“He does not sound like a creature that is to be trusted,” Tian Dao Lin noted.
“He seems to take amusement in the misery of others,” Nosferatu acknowledged. “Still, he has an agenda that was imprinted on him by Aspasia. He sent Alexander and his army in this direction in the hope they would make it and perhaps force an entrance. I am sure he will cause more trouble in the future.”
Both were startled when there was a loud bang. “The doors!” Tian Dao Lin cried out.
They raced up the tunnel to find the large bronze doors shut and the bodies of the six Quarters scattered about in front of them in the foyer room, ripped to pieces. Nosferatu and Tian Dao Lin ran to the doors and leaned against them, pressing with all their superhuman might, but they would not budge.
“Who did this?” Nosferatu demanded, as they turned back to face the main corridor.
Tian Dao Lin shook his head. “I do not know. I have been inside the mountain a half dozen times. Never has this happened.”
Nosferatu knelt next to one of the bodies. The wounds were clean, caused by something very sharp.
“In the Roads of Rostau—” Nosferatu began, but he fell silent as they heard a noise above them. Both looked up to see a trapdoor swing open in the rounded dome ceiling. A glowing gold orb with black legs — a twin to the one under Giza — dropped down, hitting the floor with a clatter of metal legs on stone.