I didn't have time to celebrate as another two vamps were on me. I had no idea what was happening with Haakon, and I didn't have time to check. I was too busy fending off my own attackers.
One came in high while the second went low, trying to take out my legs and get me on the floor. I knew if that happened I was probably dead, so I did a duck, dodge, weave thing and managed to stay out of the vamps' reach. The second one got a little too close, and I swiped at him with my blade, cutting a long furrow down his arm. He snatched back his arm with a hiss.
"That's what you get for messing with a Hunter."
He wasn't amused. He snarled and came at me again at the same time the other vamp made another play for my leg. I kicked him in the face and followed up with a fireball at vamp number two. The fire ball missed. My foot didn't.
Vamp Number One flew backward, blood spurting from his nose while Vamp Number Two rushed me again and got a blade across his chest for his trouble.
I tried to throw another fireball, but the thing sort of fizzled. Was I running out of energy? Could Fire do that? I had no idea. I'd never tried throwing multiple fireballs before. In fact, the only time I'd thrown a fireball before was by accident.
Vamp Number One was back, fangs bared. He grabbed my left arm, ignoring the serious damage the Fire was doing to his hand, and flung me across the room and into Number Two's arms. A sinewy arm locked around my throat and squeezed. I struggled to draw in air but I was out of luck. Time to stop playing.
Grabbing his arm with my left hand, I waited for the fire to burn him. Only it didn't. Apparently I was completely out of juice. Shit. So, I stabbed him in the thigh with my blade. I must have hit the femoral artery because blood sprayed everywhere. The vamp howled, his arm loosening enough for me to draw in a breath.
I reached down for the Fire again, but what came out was something completely different, something I'd never seen before. A surge of something icy and blue spilled from my metaphorical center out through every pore, mixing with whatever was left of the Fire. For a split second, I was blind, deaf, dumb. There was nothing but me and the swirling, frigid blue.
My vision cleared, and I realized the entire dome was filled with swirling clouds of white. I winced as it touched my skin, leaving a small red mark. Steam. What the hell?
Shrieks reached my ears as the vamps were engulfed in clouds of steam. I couldn't see what was happening, but clearly it was causing them tremendous pain. I stepped back, touching the stones of the wall behind me. They were slick and strangely cold despite the heat of the steam.
I listened carefully to the retreating footsteps of the vampires. They were escaping through the tunnel. Clearly the steam was causing them enough pain they were willing to risk sunlight to get away from it. I'd never heard of steam being used as a weapon against vampires. Perhaps it should be explored further. I made a mental note to mention it to Tessalah.
The steam began to clear, sinking toward the floor. The air turned chilly. How odd. Then I heard something. Haakon. He was shouting, but I couldn't make out the word. And then it came to me.
"Run!"
I stared at him dumbly for a moment before realizing the vamps weren't the only ones headed for the tunnel. Haakon was moving like the hounds of hell were on his heels. What on earth? I glanced around, trying to figure out what was going on. And then I saw it.
As the steam sank to the floor, it cooled and turned liquid, spreading pools of water across the floor. Up from the earth bubbled tiny springs which grew bigger by the moment. The walls were dripping with water. No, make that streaming with it. Water gushed around the fitted stones and through the narrow cracks. There was already a couple of inches of water on the floor, and even as I watched, it climbed higher. One of the burbles suddenly burst into a geyser, followed by another and another. Plumes of water burst through the floor, shooting to the ceiling. I was already drenched to the skin, as wet as I'd been when I climbed out of the ocean. The water was to my ankles now and climbing fast.
"Move it," Haakon shouted. His hair had turned dark with wet, plastered to his head.
"What the hell?"
"No fucking clue, but unless you want to drown, you better move your sweet ass."
I moved, ducking through the tunnel, I sort of crab-walked as fast as I could. By the time I was halfway through, Haakon close behind me, the tunnel was already half-filled with water. The vamps were nowhere in sight. I was starting to worry we wouldn't make it out in time.
I saw daylight ahead. We were close. By now the water was up to my chin, and panic was making my heart pound. I'd have probably been sweating if I wasn't nearly submerged. My movements were awkward against the slippery mud and rocks. A chunk of wet earth fell out of the side of the tunnel and plopped into the rising water. The tunnel was collapsing. I crawled faster.