BATS IN THE DARK

So this was to be their new quarters. Alisa stepped forward, letting her gaze sweep through the spacious cave. The ceiling arched several dozen steps high, almost resembling the dome of a basilica. The floor was reasonably flat, the stones smoothed surprisingly by water. Except for the remnants in some hollows, even the clay had been washed away. The stone blocks clustered in the center around a hollow were surely not originally placed here but brought by the Lycana. They were so uniformly shaped that Alisa suspected they had been worked with tools. In the central hollow, a small peat fire burned in a bowl, casting enough light for her to see into the back of the cave, where the ceiling descended to a few meters. There, simple coffins were lined up on the flat floor. The wood was dark with age and moisture, but they wouldn't have to rest on the rocky ground, as Alisa had assumed. Still, it didn't surprise her that Anna Christina did not express praise for their new abode. A few other young vampires also did not seem pleased. Ireen complained that she was not accustomed to being so far underground and knowing hundreds of meters of stone lay between her and the sky.

"Are we supposed to be locked in here for months until we can return home?" she asked horrified. Raymond looked around grimly.

"And I thought the Irish were still in the Middle Ages," muttered Malcolm. "I wouldn't have guessed it's the Stone Age!"

Joanne and Fernand, on the other hand, seemed quite comfortable here. "It's almost as beautiful as the labyrinths under Paris," Joanne exclaimed. Fernand immediately began to explore the extensive cave. The rat perched on his shoulder, squeaking excitedly. "Are those bear bones over there in the corner?" the Pyras called out. "I found a fang. Can I keep it?"

"But of course, if you wish," said the Lycana Niamh, who had come on the journey with his sister Bridget. He knelt beside Fernand. "You'll find much more if you dig into the dry clay."

"Really?" exclaimed Tammo, immediately starting his search. "I want to wear one of those fangs around my neck. And maybe a few wolf teeth."

Seymour growled. "Or maybe just bear teeth," he hastily corrected himself. Ivy chuckled.

"Do bears even come into the cave?" Joanne asked, seemingly unfazed by the idea. But Marie Luise covered her mouth to suppress a scream. To her relief and the disappointment of the Pyras, Niamh shook his head.

"No, it's been a long time since they lived here. There must have been another entrance back then that's now blocked. Anyway, the bones are very old, dating back to a time before the Lycana came here—further back than the family's memory reaches."

Donnchadh let the heirs look around for a while longer, then waved them to the stones in the middle. Since there weren't enough for all the guests, the servants brought some of the coffins over and arranged them in a second circle around the stone blocks. Ivy settled on one of the coffins, and immediately Luciano slid down beside her. Alisa could see the anger flashing in Franz Leopold's eyes. He hesitated, then stood undecided and looked to the empty space beside Alisa, but Malcolm stepped up beside her and politely asked if she minded if he sat next to her. She hastily shook her head, simultaneously feverishly considering how to avoid the conversation ending in disaster like last time. From the corner of her eye, she saw Franz Leopold turn away and go to his family. He sat down beside Anna Christina but seemed anything but happy about her company.

Alisa glanced over the present vampires. Naturally, all the heirs of the clans were there along with the shadows they had brought. While the Hamburg Vamalia were only accompanied by Hindrik this time, the Dracas each brought their personal servant. The former cab driver Matthias stood with the other three servants from Vienna somewhat in the background. The London Vyrad were only accompanied by the childish Vincent and two older shadows, with whom Alisa had not yet exchanged a word. Luciano, of course, had Francesco with him, and Chiara had the servant Leonarda, who would forever look like a thirteen-year-old girl. But Maurizio also had his shadow with him. The Pyras from Paris had once again come without companions and seemed not to miss anything.

In the middle ring, the Lycana sat together. Clan leader Donnchadh and Catriona took the slightly elevated seats, followed by the pure-blood vampire Ainmire, who had taught them at Giant's Causeway, and the impure siblings Bridget and Niamh, who resembled each other so much. Alisa leaned over to Ivy.

"Who are the Lycana over there?"

Ivy pointed to a majestic-looking, tall woman with ice-gray hair and sharp, bright eyes. "That's Morrigan. Her name means 'Great Queen,' which suits her very well. Technically, she belongs to the Ancients, but she's not ready to retire to her dotage. She's still fast and strong, possessing incredible mental powers." Alisa observed the vampire and nodded. Yes, she could imagine that very well.

"You already know Berghetta. She's Morrigan's daughter." The vampire was blonde and had her mother's ice-blue eyes.

"Next to her sits Ian, a servant who hides a high age and much experience in his young body. It's said he's seen Queen Elizabeth I with his own eyes, but I can't tell you if that's true. Anyway, he told me about the time when Cromwell ravaged Ireland. He certainly experienced that!" She smiled.

"The last one in the group, Ciarán, you've already met. He's a pure member of the Lycana. He may seem quite young, but don't be fooled. We have no greater talent in the family when it comes to transforming into every possible animal. And of course, he can dissolve into mist and call the winds to blow him wherever he pleases."

Alisa scrutinized the vampire attentively. At the time of his transformation, he might have been between twenty and thirty. With his light blond hair and pale skin, he seemed somewhat colorless, and his features could even be described as plain. He almost faded next to the masculine and striking personality of the servant Ian beside him. Alisa was still lost in her thoughts when Donnchadh, who had been quietly conversing with Catriona until then, stood up.

"The night is far advanced, but we still have a few hours until fatigue drives you to your coffins. Down here, the sun's rays can't harm you, but that won't change your sleep rhythm. It takes a lot of strength to overcome one's own nature. But that won't be necessary at the moment. We'll limit our teaching time to the nighttime."

"How gracious," Luciano muttered, making a face.

"Now you will practice calling a bat to you. Once you've managed to keep one with you, you can learn to use its fine senses in the dark. Don't give up, even if your efforts are not immediately successful, because whoever has learned this lesson possesses an invaluable advantage."

"Oh yes, I desperately need some bats swirling around my head in the brightly lit ballrooms of Vienna," Anna Christina quipped. Donnchadh ignored her, although he had surely heard her words.

"Catriona, Ainmire, and Ciarán will guide you in your exercises and support you. Divide yourselves into three groups."

He waited until the young vampires had gathered around the Lycana, then extinguished the fire in the middle and let the cave plunge into darkness.

With powerful wingbeats, the sea eagle cut through the fresh air. It flew through sun, wind, and rain showers without tiring, keeping its goal constantly in sight. It took no time to hunt and didn't engage in a fight with the swarm of crows, which clearly provoked it. It was swift and enduring, and it only took a rest break when it landed in the courtyard of Dunluce Castle.

Tapaidh sat on a rocky outcrop, his yellow eyes scanning the seemingly deserted castle. The sun still stood a hand's breadth above the horizon. So it was hardly surprising that silence lay like a shroud over the old fortress. Tapaidh decided he still had enough time to satisfy his hunger before the residents left their coffins. He decided to fly by the colony of storm petrels. Perhaps there were some inexperienced fledglings to catch. Otherwise, the ocean provided enough food. He preferred the old and injured fish, which paddled lazily near the surface, half on their side. Tapaidh opened his wings and let himself fall over the cliff edge into the depths.

When the sea eagle returned sated, darkness had descended, and shadowy figures stirred on Dunluce and its outer bailey. It circled low, searching for the vampire to whom it was to deliver the message. He was not to be seen, and neither could he spot any other vampire he knew. A strange unease overcame him. Were there far too few down there? Where were all the others? Hesitantly, he landed on the tower spire. What should he do now? Fly to any of the vampires? Or wait? The druid had impressed upon him the urgency of the situation.

A ship approached the entrance to the cave and was then skillfully maneuvered into the opening between the shallows. The eagle could hear the shouts of the boatman. He recognized that voice. That was Murrough, whom Tara also trusted. Without further ado, the griffin dove down and flew into the cave.

The vampire showed no sign of surprise when the giant bird suddenly landed on his shoulder.

"Tapaidh, what brings me the honor?"

The vampire opened his mind and received the message Tara had entrusted him with. The eagle sensed the concern and regret.

"You won't find Donnchadh here, nor Catriona or any of the heirs," said Murrough. "They've moved to Aillwee." And he recounted what had happened at Dunluce. The eagle tilted its head and listened to the thoughts. There were many confusing images that it had to sort through. But one thing was clear to it: Time, relentlessly flowing, had become an overpowering foe. Once Murrough fell silent, the griffin fluttered off his shoulder and flew into the night to find Tara, who was riding further in the wrong direction with each passing hour.

In the evening, the three Lycana who had assisted them in their exercises the previous night led the heirs back out into the open through the cave passage. Not that Franz Leopold found the narrow passages oppressive or even frightening, unlike his cousin Marie Luise or the Vyrad Raymond, whose feelings he had picked up on. He wrinkled his nose at so much weakness. It was unworthy of a vampire, and especially of a Dracas! Nevertheless, he too looked forward to the high sky and the spicy scent of the night wind.

Since not everyone had succeeded in calling a bat and keeping it with them the previous night, they were divided into three groups again and continued their exercise under guidance. Franz Leopold stayed by Ivy's side, who did her best to help Luciano, whom she had inexplicably taken a fancy to. He even received a reproachful look when he said after a while, "How can one be so incompetent?"

With an indifferent expression, he turned away. She should know that he wouldn't be reprimanded by any vampire – especially not by a Lycana still living in the Stone Age! He decided to punish her with disdain for a while. Franz Leopold looked around at his group of six, who were training with Catriona. Naturally, he couldn't be pleased about taking orders from an impure. How could Donnchadh demand such a thing from them?

"It's not about the bloodline. It's the mental and magical powers alone that make the vampire – and she's a master who deserves our respect!"

Franz Leopold spun around. Only Ivy could have sent him that thought, but when he looked over at her, he only saw her back, with her silver curls cascading down. She seemed completely focused on Luciano and the small bat sitting on his flat hand. Quickly, he turned away again. In her group were also Anna Christina and Fernand, whose company he didn't value at all. He could hardly say who he found more unbearable: the dirty, uneducated Pyras or his constantly bickering cousin. His gaze wandered on to Alisa, who reached out with a satisfied smile. Indeed, a bat emerged from the darkness and flew towards her. But just as it was about to land on her palm, Franz Leopold's thoughts intruded into hers, disrupting her concentration. The bat veered off and disappeared.

Alisa whirled around to the Dracas, ready to shower him with her outrage when Catriona addressed her. Obviously, she had observed her failed attempt.

"That was very good at the beginning, Alisa, but you must not let yourself be disturbed in your concentration." Her voice sounded friendly, but the reproach annoyed Alisa. The complaint about Franz Leopold's unfair intrusion into her mind was on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it down. She had to deal with him alone!

The beautiful servant of the Lycana looked at Alisa attentively. "You must learn to close yourself off against disturbances. This time it was the Dracas, another time it will be something else that pulls at your attention. A true master will not let the thread once knotted be broken even amidst a raging storm. We will do exercises later where you must pay attention to several things at once. Try again!"

Franz Leopold's anger amused Alisa. But before he could savor his triumph, he felt Catriona effortlessly penetrate his consciousness. He flinched. One had to keep an eye on the impure! She was not only clever and had powerful abilities. She was also a personality whose strength should not be underestimated. He tried to withstand the onslaught but had to reluctantly admit his defeat after a few moments of gritting his teeth. He pierced Catriona with his gaze, which only seemed to amuse her. This angered Franz Leopold even more, yet he watched captivated as Alisa called a bat for the second time, let it circle around her head once, and then commanded it to land on her hand.

"Now connect your senses with hers," Catriona demanded. "I'll help you." Alisa's forehead furrowed in concentration. Nevertheless, the attempt was not successful, Franz Leopold could feel it. Without warning, Catriona turned to him and instructed him to call the bat to himself.

"Let her go and relax a little before we try again," she said to Alisa. Franz Leopold was pleased with how easy it was for him to direct the bat to himself. However, using its senses was another matter. He tried various methods, but it wasn't until Catriona supported him that he felt, for a few moments, as if he could hear and smell what the bat sensed. However, he couldn't reach the echo image. He emitted a short growl but immediately regained control.

"That was very good," praised Catriona. "You will now try it together a few more times. Since you are already a master of telepathy, you will strengthen Alisa's powers with yours as soon as she calls the bat to herself and wants to share her senses with the animal." Catriona turned away to see how Ivy was progressing with Luciano.

Alisa and Franz Leopold stared at each other. He could feel her resentment. Nevertheless, after a while, she said with a strained calm voice, "We proved in Rome what we can achieve together. So, let's start. It's only to our advantage if we learn quickly!"

Franz Leopold nodded. "Yes, a certain independence in the darkness of the caverns seems quite desirable."

Moments later, they were so absorbed in their task that they forgot everything around them. Alisa resisted at first. Only when Franz Leopold scolded her for her unreasonable resistance did she let the connection happen.

"This is unpleasant," she defended herself. "I'm not doing it on purpose. My mind protects itself without my intention."

"However, with moderate success!" Franz Leopold cut off her retorts. "We can argue extensively later, if you wish. Let's continue for now. I want to succeed. It can't be that difficult if the Lycana accomplish it all so effortlessly."

It was past midnight when they both exclaimed in surprise simultaneously. For the first time in their existence, they perceived the world around them for a few moments, shaping the echoes of the bright calls of a bat.

"Isn't that fantastic?" Alisa breathed, enchanted.

"Concentrate!" Franz Leopold snapped at her, but the bond was already broken. Despite his annoyance, he couldn't help but smile. He glanced over at Ivy, who stood next to a visibly frustrated Luciano, but continued to assist him. She looked up and returned his smile.

"Come on, let's try again!" Alisa urged.

"What?" Franz Leopold replied absentmindedly.

"Let's keep practicing!" Alisa insisted. "We need to sustain it longer, and then each on our own if it's to be of use to us in the caves. Hey! What's with you?"

Franz Leopold shook himself as if awakening from a trance. By the end of the night, only a few of the heirs had managed to use the senses of a bat, which were so foreign to them. Nonetheless, Catriona, Ainmire, and Ciarán were satisfied with their progress – they were making strides.

Alisa and Franz Leopold could now move confidently in the deepest darkness with the help of their furry companions – but only together... Whenever they tried alone, they lost the animal after a few steps, and it fluttered away.

When Alisa reported this to Luciano, he grinned in relief. "So, you're no better than us. I can only do it with Ivy, too."

"Only with the difference that Ivy also masters it alone."

They were allowed to spend the rest of the night as they pleased, but Donnchadh forbade them from leaving the cave. While most of the Lycana and the foreign servants set off to hunt, the heirs sat together around the peat fire in the large cave. Soon, Tammo went with Joanne and Fernand to search for more bear teeth. The three disappeared into a narrow passage.

"I think we could explore a bit down here as well," Alisa suggested. "There must be much more to discover than just the one path to this hall, right?"

Ivy nodded. "But of course. If I team up with Luciano and you with Franz Leopold, we shouldn't have any trouble."

Alisa and Leopold grimaced. But while the Dracas still grappled with his fate, Alisa had already called a bat.

"Then let's go," she said, her eyes sparkling with adventure. Ivy took the lead with Luciano by her side. Although she was also connected to him through her thoughts, it was easier for him to grasp the images she sent when she touched him.

Perhaps Luciano wouldn't have needed this help, but both Franz Leopold and Alisa suspected that he was deliberately pretending to be more helpless than he was to avoid letting go of the Irishwoman. Neither of them liked that thought very much. Alisa and Franz Leopold, on the other hand, maintained as much distance from each other as possible to avoid accidentally touching. The fusion of their thoughts and sensory impressions was strange enough.

They followed the cavern passages in wonder, leading them into an enchanted labyrinth. They encountered the cave river repeatedly, small streams cascading over waterfalls or deep, crystal-clear lakes that could only be crossed by diving under the lowering ceiling. Since there was so much to explore on dry land, the vampires temporarily avoided attempts to dive. They passed through low passages where they had to kneel down, and then through crevices so high that they didn't even echo the bat's sounds back. A few times, they had to climb over collapses. Boulders as tall as a man had tumbled down from the ceiling and become entangled in a chaotic mess. After that, the cave narrowed again into a passage where one could only walk upright.

"Can someone make some light?" Alisa asked as they once again stood at an underground lake, into which the passage descended until it disappeared beneath the water's surface. Ivy lit the small rush lamp she had brought. Seymour lowered his nose and sniffed at the stones barely protruding above the surface.

"What's up?" Luciano asked.

"Someone has been here, and not long ago," Alisa said, inhaling the air for examination.

"Not one of us," Ivy remarked after a while, staring at the water. "It's murky!"

"Indeed," Alisa observed. "Do you think someone swam through there?"

"Perhaps, but there are no wet footprints," Ivy said slowly, speaking a few quick words in Gaelic to Seymour.

"That means he swam from here to the other side," Franz Leopold concluded.

"Are there still bears or wolves down here?" Luciano wanted to know. "I sense a predator scent in the air."

"I don't think so," Ivy shook her head.

"Do you know where the passage on the other side leads?" Alisa asked.

Ivy pondered. "I don't think so. It could be connected to the upper parts of the cave, but I'm pretty sure I've never swum through this pond before."

"Then it's time," said Franz Leopold.

Alisa looked at him somewhat incredulously. "You want to go into the water? Soak your clothes?"

Franz Leopold shrugged. "What the Lycana have forced upon us, I wouldn't call clothes. But if you're afraid to get a little wet and dirty, feel free to return to the main cave and wait for us by the peat fire."

His tone was contemptuous.

"No, I'm not afraid of water or cave mud," Alisa retorted vehemently. "I just had the impression that the Dracas cares for nothing more than a flawless appearance."

"Because you always let your prejudice guide you. How audacious of you to think you know us!"

At that moment, Luciano interrupted. "Can we even take the bats with us?"

"Through the water?" Ivy shook her head. "No, if we were to command them, they would drown."

Franz Leopold looked at her with interest. "Could we? Or rather, would they have to obey that command?"

"Only those with very strong mental powers can force another being to death in this way."

"Could Catriona, for example, do it? Or Ainmire?" Luciano asked curiously.

"Yes, Catriona could, but she would never do such a thing!"

Luciano looked disgruntled at the murky water surface. "Without bats, we can hardly see anything over there. We only have one lamp. What could be so exciting on the other side that we have to go through all this trouble?"

Alisa and Franz Leopold only looked at him accusingly. Ivy reassured him by saying they could summon another bat on the other side. "But you don't have to come. You can wait here until we return and report what we found."

"No way!" Luciano exclaimed, splashing into the water with large strides until it reached his stomach. "So, are we going or what?" he said before submerging. The others exchanged surprised glances but then followed him. They couldn't see anything underwater, so they felt their way along the left wall. First, the floor dropped away. The ceiling followed in a steeper slope. Soon, there was so little space between the floor and the ceiling that they had to crawl on all fours. Now the floor became flatter again, and thankfully, the passage didn't narrow. It could only be a few meters long, but it seemed longer to the four vampires. Then the floor rose again, and they finally broke through the water's surface. They could only faintly make out weak shapes in the immediate vicinity, yet the sound of their voices gave them an impression of how large the cavity must be.

"Summon your bats," Ivy said.

Alisa reached out and touched the wet fabric of Franz Leopold's arm.

"You don't have to touch me for that," he protested, stepping back. However, their thoughts found each other and intertwined in a shared call. It went surprisingly smoothly, without the usual squabbling and mutual resistance against the foreign mind. Reluctantly, Franz Leopold had to admit that it was pleasant to work together with Alisa. He quickly suppressed the thought before she might have picked up on it.

"We're ready," Alisa said. "We've found another bat. Ivy? How about you?"

"We're ready too. I've called the one who guided us before."

"What? How did you do that?"

"I commanded her to follow me," Ivy replied.

"But not through the water!" Luciano exclaimed, horrified.

"No, of course not!" Ivy sounded amused. "I commanded her to find another way. And now we know that this is not the only connection between the two cave passages."

"Although we can't say how big the other entrance is," Alisa remarked. "Maybe only a bat can fit through the gap."

"That's possible," Ivy admitted.

"And if there hadn't been another option? Would you have forced her to plunge into the water?" Franz Leopold asked curiously.

"Of course not! I would have felt her resistance and released her!"

"But you could have done it," he pressed on. Ivy didn't respond to that.

"Where's Seymour, by the way?" Alisa interrupted, looking around.

"Didn't he come along?" 

"He needs to breathe!" Ivy reminded. "I wanted to make sure first that there's a way forward on the other side and that the underwater distance isn't too far for him. Now he can come safely."

She had barely finished the sentence when the water, turbid with stirred-up mud, parted, and the head of the white wolf appeared. With a powerful leap, he jumped onto the shore and shook himself, drenching the four vampires a second time.

Two passages led away from the cavity. The floor around the small lake was smooth and wet. Water trickled down in strands from the walls, collecting on the floor and flowing into the lake. Alisa made a disgruntled face.

"What's up?" Luciano asked.

"You can't leave footprints here. The water carries away the scent and distorts it. So we won't find out who has been here."

She looked at Ivy and Seymour, but the Lycana also shook her head regretfully.

"Where to now? Follow the water to the south or the other passage from which the bat joined us?" 

They decided to take the passage leading south. It twisted and ascended steadily. A few times, narrower crevices branched off, but the four continued along the main passage until it ended in a sort of basin. It must have been very high but narrowed in height. They tilted their heads back, trying to guess the dimensions.

"I sense fresh night air," Luciano said.

"Ah, he's getting cave fever," Franz Leopold taunted. "Too many narrow passages in the lightless night."

But Alisa sniffed the air. "Then I have cave fever too, or Luciano's senses are not deceiving him."

Ivy nodded. "Focus on your eyes and not on the sound of the bats, then you can see the small hole high up in the ceiling. It looks like night is already fading. We should turn back."

"It's pretty high," Alisa said after a while. "Too bad the walls are so smooth and overhanging, and wet on top of that. It makes it impossible for us to climb up and examine the exit closely. I'd really like to know if someone has come in there!"

"We can send the bats up to examine everything more closely," Franz Leopold suggested, and the little creature flapped its leathery wings into the night air. They could now see the walls better, smell the fresh air, and feel the increasing brightness burning in their eyes as the bat pushed through the hole for a moment and circled above it before returning to the cave.

"No one has entered through there," Luciano said, also receiving the impressions with Ivy's help. "The hole is way too small." He turned away and headed back to the passage. Alisa and Franz Leopold exchanged a glance. Their thoughts met.

Too small for a creature in human form!

"What's the matter?" Ivy asked. Suddenly, they noticed Seymour sniffing in all directions. His ears were flattened, and his lips were pulled back.

Franz Leopold leaned over a stone block, its surface almost dry. His nostrils flared. "If it weren't absolutely impossible, I would say it smells like my cousin Anna Christina and her disgusting perfume."