A quick glance at her shoulder showed the wound had already stopped bleeding, though as a hybrid it would take some time to seal completely.

"Son of a b.i.t.c.h!" Trixie screamed, and Hannah stared outside as the tall vampiress took a flying leap at the dark-haired man who had almost reached the cave. She tackled him to the ground.

Chanting in Matthew's deep voice caused her attention to jerk toward the doctor as he conjured a small sandstorm and forced some of the attackers away from the cave. The sandstorm dissipated when his concentration was broken by Adam knocking him to the ground before a bullet struck him.

"We know what you're hiding!" the black-haired man bellowed at Trixie as they fought.

"f.u.c.k you, Rafe!" Trixie kicked him in the stomach, but he dodged the blow. They circled one another.

"Luci always told me: Find Seraphimus and he'll lead me to relics of the home world. He stole what was left from the wreckage when Luci destroyed the last of the Originals of Atlantis!"

Hannah would have felt relief had they not been in so much danger. At least no one-even wicked Luci-had known that Herm and Sheb had survived the last fight. They thought only relics from their shuttle had been recovered!

Suddenly Rafe belted Trixie across the cheek. She staggered, and he dove at her, knocking her onto her back and punching her in the face.

Vincent roared from where he'd been summoning magic with Arkin atop a ledge opposite the cave. He leapt to the sand, racing towards Trixie as a group of Rafe's black-garbed followers attacked him. He kicked two into unconsciousness. A dagger plunged into his side, and he growled, ripping the blade out of his own flesh and using it to ward off three other enemy fighters.

Rafe still sat on top of Trixie, cracking her in the face, though she'd managed to render him half blind by ripping her claws across his eyes. Hannah picked up the dagger that had struck her and, her heart pounding, bounded into the midst of the fighting, leaping on Rafe's back and plunging the dagger in deep.

He growled, anger and pain in his eyes as he turned to see who'd stabbed him. Trixie took his moment of distraction to snap his neck. She jerked the dagger from his back and plunged it through his heart, one of the few ways to almost always ensure a vampire's death.

Trixie gave Hannah a thumbs up, and Hannah called, "I owed you for Sir Edward!"

"Get down!" Trixie bellowed as she and Hannah dropped to the ground, their hands covering their heads. Several of the enemy vampires-apparently the eldest-had banded their magic together. The ground shook and pieces of the cave crumbled.

Matthew, Vincent, and the Jury combined their efforts to defend the cave, and though they kept the others at bay, their magic only added to the debris.

"Seraphim!" Hannah screamed when he walked directly between the two battling groups. His eyes slipped shut and within several moments the fighting ceased.

"Tie them up!" shouted Vincent. He, Adam, and Matthew jogged towards Rafe's small army who remained entranced by Seraphim. Once their enemies were restrained, rendered unconscious, and tossed into Network vans, Seraphim released his spell and sat for a moment, catching his breath.

Hannah slipped her arm around him. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, tenderly placing a hand over her b.l.o.o.d.y sleeve. "You?"

"Just a little slice. It's healing already."

Vincent squatted in front of Seraphim, pressing a hand to his own injured side. "You shouldn't have done that. What about the signal? It takes a lot of strength to conjure it, and if you have to sustain it for any length of time -"

"The Originals helped me just now. I'll be fine for the signal," Seraphim said, though Hannah noted he looked a bit pale.

"We got about half an hour until sundown." Vincent glanced skyward as he stood, dragging Trixie-who had just approached-into his arms.

"You're hurt," Trixie inspected Vincent's b.l.o.o.d.y side.

"It's nothing," he said. "One of the bookends will take care of it. Look, here comes Matthew already."

As Matthew began examining Vincent's wound, Vincent glanced at Hannah. "Thanks for watching out for Trixie."

"We vampiresses have to stick together," Hannah said. Trixie winked at her. "You got it, kid."

"Half an hour," Seraphim murmured. Hannah sensed his sadness. In half an hour, the only family he'd known for ten thousand years would be gone.

Sera, Sheb held out her hand as Seraphim stepped into the cave, Hannah at his side. He approached the Originals, trying not to reveal the emptiness Hannah knew he felt at the thought of them leaving.

Your energy is depleted, Herm gazed at Seraphim and reached for him.

Seraphim stepped back, shaking his head. You can't help me. You need your own energy for when we contact the Others. Vll be fine.

You're troubled, Sheb said. Because we're going. I want you to go and be with the Others.

We'll miss you as well, Sera, Herm said. But we belong to each other. In our souls and minds.

Seraphim nodded. Hannah's hand slipped into his, and Seraphim clung to it, gazing into her eyes. She knew he struggled to hide how much their leaving affected him.

For the next half hour, the four remained, talking about the past and the future. Finally, Seraphim drew a deep breath and said, "It's time."

Herm and Sheb nodded. Seraphim stood, Hannah's hand still in his, and walked to the cave above.

"You might want to stay inside," he said. "I know you're tolerant of daylight, but this ritual gets very bright. Herm and Sheb won't be able to emerge until after the beacon dies and the Originals land."

Matthew approached from where they'd been seated with the Network and Sage. Though the other vampires remained in the corner of the cave, their eyes fixed on Seraphim.

"Do you need help?" Matthew asked. "I've performed this ritual before-to great effect."

"Thank you for the offer, and I might need your help later, but not now. The Originals are below, trying to contact the Others, and as soon as I send the signal, they should arrive."

"f.u.c.k," Vincent murmured from across the cave. "I can't believe we're really going to see Them. This is too amazing."

"I wish Judah was here," Matthew said. "He's been studying astronomy, hoping to eventually find some evidence of the Originals' s.p.a.ce travel. He would have loved to have been here, especially to ask them for help with Leah-"

"Herm and Sheb said they'd speak with Them. You can trust they will," Seraphim rea.s.sured him.

Adam approached. "As soon as the signal fades, we'll bring Herm and Sheb above."

"Thank you." Seraphim nodded. He turned to Hannah and kissed her, whispering, "Wish me luck."

"Luck." She embraced him tightly before he stepped away and left the cave.

Hannah stood with the others who had approached the cave mouth and watched Seraphim begin the ritual. She concentrated on remaining in his mind, feeling his thoughts and emotions. It wasn't easy, since she was so young and he was unable to a.s.sist her due to the immense concentration he needed for the spell. Still, she found she was able to focus.

He knelt on the sand, closed his eyes, and began concentrating on the words of the chant, calling upon ancient Originals who had inspired the names of G.o.ds and G.o.ddesses of old Earth. Aurora! Jupiter! Ku! Helios! His thoughts rippled through the atmosphere, through s.p.a.ce and time itself. Summoning.. .He// Isis! Odin! Thoth!

Seraphim lost all awareness of the other vampires. His sole focus was on calling forth the sun, of summoning Them.

Hannah gasped as the sun began to rise, brightening the night until she felt swallowed by brilliance and heat.

Nearly an hour pa.s.sed before she felt Seraphim's power waning. The intensity of sustaining such a powerful spell for so long was mind-shattering, and he was nearing his physical limitations. She tried not to tense and break her connection to him, but her worry interrupted her concentration.

Suddenly the spell dissipated and Seraphim collapsed in the sand.

"Seraphim!" Hannah dropped to the ground beside him and tugged his head onto her lap. She felt him trembling and heard his heart racing as she stroked sweaty tendrils of hair from his face.

"Are they here?" He pushed himself to his knees. "Easy." Matthew's steadying hand touched his back.

Vincent jogged out of the cave and squatted in front of Seraphim. "Herm and Sheb said they couldn't contact anyone."

"No," Seraphim murmured, staring at the star-filled sky. "They have be there."

"Maybe they died out after all," Matthew suggested. "They might have managed to populate other planets, like they did here, but the Originals themselves might no longer be able to engage in s.p.a.ce travel."

"I won't believe that." Seraphim stood. "I'm going to try again." "You won't be able to do it," Matthew said. "Not without rest."

"It has to be tonight!" Seraphim's fists clenched as his eyes darted from Matthew to Vincent to Hannah. "Don't you understand. It is tonight. There will be no other chances!"

Hannah stepped close and touched his face. "Wouldn't Herm and Sheb know if they were close?"

"They'll come."

Hannah prodded his thoughts again, and she realized Seraphim couldn't- wouldn't-believe They wouldn't come. Herm and Sheb didn't belong living in an underground cave, nor did they belong hidden away for the use of the Network only, at risk from every power-hungry vampire on Earth. They belonged with their own kind.

"I'm trying again," Seraphim stated.

Vincent placed a hand on Hannah's shoulder as they took a few steps back. Matthew followed, his eyes fixed on Seraphim.

Again, Seraphim dropped to his knees and cleared his mind. It took several moments before he was able to attain the proper state of meditation, but the brightness and warmth of the sun filled the night again.

Aurora! Jupiter! Ku! Helios! Hannah sensed him weakening. Hel! Isis! Odin! Thoth! Give me the strength! Don't let me fail! I know They will come! he thought, and Hannah felt completely helpless. If only she was older and more experienced! If only she could help him!

Suddenly Matthew and Vincent began chanting as they dropped to their knees beside Seraphim. "Aurora! Jupiter! Ku-"

Yes! Even Hannah heard Their thoughts! Dozens of ancient thoughts, and power such as she'd never imagined possible!

The spell faded, and Seraphim remained on his knees, panting, though as Hannah approached him, she saw a slight smile of accomplishment on his lips. He glanced at Matthew and Vincent who sat close by, both looking disheveled and a bit dazed.

"Thank you," he told them.

"Whoa," Vincent gasped. "That spell kicked a.s.s. What a f.u.c.kin' rush."

"Well said, as always." Matthew tossed him a disgusted look. "Vincent, you really can destroy a serious moment, you know that?"

"Eh." Vincent pushed himself to his feet, his arms spread wide. "It's what I do best." Hannah grasped Seraphim's arm as he stood and held her close.

"Look!" Trixie bellowed from the cave mouth. She pointed skyward. An oval-shaped object, even darker than the night itself, hovered in the sky above the cave.

Sage and Lourdes helped Herm and Sheb from the cave, placing them on chairs in the sand.

Everyone covered their ears and closed their eyes as the Originals' ship landed, blowing sand and dust everywhere. A door opened and a ramp lowered.

Two pale, dark-eyed Originals gazed curiously at the group as they descended.

We thought colonization was unsuccessful here, one of them-a slim female with delicate tusks curling between her lips, spoke telepathically so all could hear.

We're so relieved to see you again, though you must have much to tell. The male approached Herm and Sheb and began examining them. Pity. The injuries are too old to be completely reversed.

"You mean you can help them?" Matthew said.

Hannah nearly smiled. There was no way the doctor could refrain from trying to gain more information. It would have been too much to ask of him.

The Originals gazed at Matthew, then at each of the other vampires. Many species. Magnificent. It's too bad this world is not yet ready for us.

"You know that already?" Vincent asked. "s.h.i.t, you just got here."

We know all of what has happened. The Female gestured to Herm and Sheb. We have absorbed their memories.

"So fast?" Adam murmured.

We must go. The male said. You will not be forgotten, and you will be watched. When the time is right, we'll return.

"You must know about my friends if you absorbed Herm and Sheb's thoughts already," Matthew said.

We must go, the female repeated, her eyes fixed on Matthew for a moment before switching to Seraphim. Thank you for your loyalty.

Seraphim nodded, then turned to Herm and Sheb.

"Sera," Sheb spoke aloud, holding out her arms to him. Seraphim knelt and held her close. Hannah saw he was fighting tears. We love you. Always, Sheb said.

Seraphim nodded before embracing Herm. Remember, son, we are but a thought away, Herm said.

The newly arrived Originals waited until Seraphim stepped away before lifting Herm and Sheb and carrying them up the ramp.

The door closed, and within moments, the ship ascended and disappeared.

"My G.o.d," Adam murmured, his hand on Sage's shoulder. The boy still stared skyward.

"Are you all right?" Hannah asked Seraphim. He nodded and turned back to the cave. "Okay, let's clear out!" Vincent shouted.

"In the morning, I'll arrange for the cave to be hidden as a precaution. Seraphim, how much time would you like to get what you need in the cave?" Adam asked.

"Not much," he murmured. Hannah followed him down to the room where Herm and Sheb had lived.

"Seraphim?" she asked gently. "I know you'll miss them. I'm so sorry." "No." His brow furrowed. "It's best for them."

Hannah wrapped her arms around him, and he held her tightly. She stroked his hair as his tears soaked her shoulder.