A Shade of Vampire 40: A Throne of Fire(50)

“We should leave the sentries out here to guard. GASP and the rest of us go in,” Ash said.

Derek nodded. “Are we expecting danger inside?”

“No,” Tejus replied, “it should only be the Impartial Ministers in there, if anyone—but we can’t be too careful.”

Derek and Sofia were the first to enter the passage, with Ash, Tejus, Hazel and me following. I doubted that Derek would be as amazed as we were the first time he saw the ministerial home, he’d seen a lot in his time, but when he approached the blazing light and stepped through to the miraculous open-air chamber, the vampire stopped still.

He turned to me and Hazel.

“We need Ibrahim. The light in here is bright.”

We fetched Ibrahim, asking the rest to stand back in the valley while the warlock worked his magic. A few moments later we were given the all clear, and the rest of GASP entered the large chamber.

Ash, Tejus, Hazel and I strode over to the water, looking down into its white waters.

“Where are they?” I asked. The waters were empty; the bodies of the Impartial Ministers had vanished. The rest of us looked as puzzled as I did—I didn’t know why they’d leave, the whole point of the water was to restore them.

“Did we bring the Impartial Ministers?” Ash asked.

“We did.” Tejus nodded, walking back toward the group. A few moments later he reappeared, with both of the Impartial Ministers following behind him.

“This is sacrilege!” one of them chastised him, banging his walking staff on the polished marble floor so it echoed loudly around the room. Tejus rolled his eyes, leading them up to the edge of the basin.

“Where are they?” he asked bluntly.

Both ministers peered down into the water, shaking their heads in sorrow.

“Perhaps they went to hide—to find a safe haven far from the dangers of this land. Far from you, Tejus of Hellswan!”

“Didn’t they need the water?” I asked.

“They did,” the minister grunted. “And probably won’t last long without it. The same as us. You may well be trying to destroy the entity with this foolhardy effort, but you will end us—the guardians of the very land you’re trying to save!”

I glanced over at Tejus and Ash. I knew the Impartial Ministers weren’t even close to being a priority right now, but I felt bad for the men. I knew they’d been stupid—arrogant and blind-sided by rules and propriety, but still, they had only been doing what they thought was best, and perhaps they deserved some compassion.

“What’s Derek going to do with the water?” Ash asked, completely ignoring the minister.

“I don’t know yet,” I replied. “But maybe we can save some…for them?”

I looked over at the Impartial Ministers, who scowled at me.

Never mind.

“We’ll see,” Tejus replied.

After admiring the massive chambers, the members of GASP were making their way over to where we stood. Derek walked with Ibrahim, Mona and Corrine, all in deep discussion. When they approached the basin, Ibrahim placed his hands above the surface of the water and closed his eyes.

“It’s powerful,” he murmured.

At the opposite end of the pool, Sherus and Nuriya bent down to get a closer look. Sherus placed a finger in the water, gently rippling its surface.

“These are the waters of immortalitatem,” he confirmed. “See the eternal light? It continues to blaze brightly for all time, yet the waters remain as cold as ice.”

I looked down at the bottom of the pool, the pure white light glowing just the way it did in Hazel’s dagger.

“What can you do, Ibrahim?” Derek asked.

The warlock considered the question for a while, staring down at the water as if working out some puzzle, his hand continuously moving over the water, testing its power. After a while, he turned back to Derek.

“I can infuse our weapons with the waters, ensuring that we each have access to the water’s power. For those who don’t carry material weapons, natural ones will work too.”

“Fangs?” Erik asked.

Ibrahim nodded.

“Excellent,” Kiev muttered.

At the warlock’s request, we all stood back while the witches went to work. Mona, Corrine, Brock and Arwen stood around the pool, their hands out in the same way Ibrahim held his. Soon the water started to move, rising up to meet the tips of their fingers, the light from within shining bright and pearlescent as it was drawn up into the sunlit chamber.

“Each come forward and state your weapon of choice,” Ibrahim announced.

An orderly queue stood behind the warlock: Ash, Tejus and I brandishing swords; Benedict clasping a crossbow and bolts; the dragons and Hawks requesting that their claws be cast in the water, all transforming into the supernatural state in preparation; and the vampires and werewolves, most holding weapons, but all grinning, showing their deadly sharp incisors.