The Quest of the Hudion

Chapter 8 - Impossibly Possible

I traced my way back through secret passageways and miserable halls until we reached the feeble light of the vampire cavern.  My inmate kept glancing about as though he would find some vampire lunging viciously towards him.  When we finally reached the vampire room, I introduced my friend to Vanessa, who gave him a very warm welcome.  This seemed to calm his anxieties a bit, and he managed a weak smile.

"Vanessa," I said, leading my cellmate to her, "This is my inmate.  He has been here many years, and I am sure he will have some information to share."

My cellmate quivered slightly, his beard shivering and quaking.  "What is his name?" asked Vanessa.

"Umm..." I faltered, looking to him for the answer.

"John," he said, with only a trace of confidence.

"Well, welcome to our organization, John!" said Vanessa, inviting John deeper into the little room.

"Thank you," John said, a bit more self-assured.  As we walked farther into the dingy room, Vanessa prodded John with questions.

"So how long have you been here?" she asked.

"About seven years," John hesitantly replied.

"And how long has King Hades been working on his grand plan?"

"He began work about 10 years ago, but it took him most of his lifetime to develop the plan," said John.

I let them continue talking, and moseyed off to join the other vampires.  A few moments later, Vanessa slid along the bench to sit next to me.   "John sure is a wealth of information," she commented.

"Yes, I thought he would be useful," I replied. "What did he tell you about Hades' plan?"

"Well, he was a bit shy with his answers, but he gave me a lot of very useful information."

"Such as..." I prompted her.

"Well, for instance, there is a secret passageway to the King's chamber right over there," she said, leaning to point behind me.  I turned and saw a faint light seeping through the cracked mortar of the weak wall.  Fascinated, I stood up, and neared the slender crack.  I peered through, but recoiled as a blinding purple light stung my eyes.

"What's wrong?" asked Vanessa, seeing me cover my burning eyes.

"Nothing, nothing," I said, dismissing it. "There’s just a strange light behind that wall."

"Hmmm..." said Vanessa.  She approached the crack, but instantly pulled back to cover her watery eyes.  

"I see what you mean!" she exclaimed, wincing.

"What on earth could it be?"  I asked, talking to myself.

"It is probably emitted by the Qun," said John, who crept up behind us.  "The larger and more powerful it becomes, the stronger that light will grow.  It is a sort of defense mechanism."

"Really?"  I turned to him, uncovering my quivering eyes.

"Yes,” he nodded.  “When the Qun has reached full strength, it will begin to emit a strong magnetic field stretching many miles, dangerous to any living creatures.  That is how Hades plans to bring the Aevynonians to submission."

I cautiously crept to the crack again, careful not to look into the stinging light.  A stone next to the crack seemed to be dangerously loose.  "Vanessa, come help me,” I said.

Vanessa approached the loose stone, wiggling her fingers into the crumbling mortar which bound it to the rest of the wall.  The cement seemed to melt away from the brick, releasing it from the wall's grip.  Many of the other stones were weak or wobbly, and Vanessa helped me remove those too.  With each stone, more vampires gathered around us, watching us work.  The violet light became so intense that I had to grope blindly for each stone.