Page 99 of How to Stake a Vampire

The mine’s entry point was larger than it had appeared from a distance. Old support beams framed the opening and rusted rails disappeared into the darkness beyond. The air that drifted out was cool and carried the scents Ellie and Barney had already identified—blood, magic, and something that made my wolf’s hackles rise.

“This place is as cheerful as a tomb,” Didi muttered.

“I used to mine here in the old days,” Finnic grunted. “It has solid stone formations and great acoustics.”

Bo perked up. “For singing?”

“For practicing our battle cries.”

Bo deflated. “Oh.”

I grimaced. For a rescue mission, this was turning out to be weirdly educational.

Gloom swallowed us as we moved deeper into the mine. Though our werewolf and vampire vision cut easily through the darkness, we turned on the flashlights the dwarves hadprovided us with. Made with secret dwarf technology, they were waterproof, shockproof, and guaranteed to work in the presence of hostile magic. They also worked well as a blunt weapon Hilda had confessed as she’d distributed them.

We soon reached a junction. Wind whistled faintly in the tunnel to our right. It brought with it a pungent smell that made Gavin gag and Didi wrinkle her nose.

“Bats,” Finnic said, turning into the tunnel. “Watch your step. The floor will be slippery from guano.”

“I hate bats,” Mindy whispered.

“I hate mines,” Gavin said glumly.

“I’m pretty much hating all of this,” Didi declared grimly.

Our lights cast dancing shadows on the walls as we advanced, our footsteps echoing despite our best attempts at stealth. I could feel the weight of the mountain pressing down above us when we reached the next junction.

“How deep does this go?” Samuel asked in a low voice as we followed Finnic into the left branch.

“About four hundred feet at the deepest point,” Finnic replied. “This mine was one of the largest of its time. It has multiple levels and lots of tunnels. It’s a perfect place to hide.”

“Or get lost,” Didi muttered.

“That’s what these are for,” Melvina said, producing something from the pocket of her chain mail. “Trail markers.”

Hilda and the other dwarves exchanged resigned looks. The rest of us stared.

“We are not marking our path with googly eyes,” Barney said firmly.

“But they’re practical, Master,” Melvina protested. “Plus, these ones glow in the dark.” She cocked her thumb over her shoulder, where she’d already stuck a pair to the wall.

Bo grinned and wagged his tail.

Gregory muttered something under his breath.

I was beginning to understand why Barney always looked exhausted.

After a short argument, Melvina was allowed to use her googly eyes to flag our route.

“We’re gonna look stupid if we die in here and people find us by the glow of these things,” Gavin muttered sullenly as we left a phosphorescent trail in our wake.

“We’ll be dead, so we won’t care,” Didi pointed out.

“Death isn’t that bad,” Mindy protested.

Everyone chose to maintain a diplomatic silence at this.

We’d been walking for about ten minutes when Ellie suddenly stopped.