Amaranthine Special Edition Vol II

by Naylor, Joleene

  Jorick spoke patiently, “It was likely Bren you saw in the woods or-”

  “It wasn’t Bren!”

  “Let me finish, please. Or the other Executioner scouting ahead. Though he has every right to be here, I doubt he could disappear so quickly. It’s likely the aftermath of your meeting with Malick. Sometimes there are… Echoes. You’ll see your fears made flesh, but they’re not really there. It’s only an after image.”

  “It wasn’t an echo, and it wasn’t that other Executioner.” Even as she said it she wasn’t sure. The fight at the brick house had been so fast and was barely more than a blur of fear and blood in her mind. Would she recognize either of the Executioners if she saw them again? Or could it really be an echo, like Jorick said? No one else had acknowledged him, the waitress hadn’t seen him and he had just vanished. Maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her.

  When they left the restaurant, she still wasn’t sure. However, she knew she didn’t want to go back to the tiny room and their furious roommate. “Let’s go to the lounge and watch TV or something.”

  Jorick stopped and gave her an appraising look. “Do you really want to?”

  “It has to be better than being shut up with Oren all night. Surely there’s something to do?”

  “Probably. It’s changed a great deal since I was last here.” He offered her a smile. “They didn’t even have electricity when I left.”

  “When was that? After-” but she didn’t finish. Velnya’s name was still a word she didn’t like to say.

  “1865,” a nearby voice said. “It took two to replace him.”

  Katelina and Jorick turned to see a vampire with long dark hair pulled back into a bun. He had soft brown eyes, and there was a lyrical cadence to his voice that was distinctly foreign, though eroded by time. His skin was smooth like marble, and though he might be younger than Jorick, it wasn’t by much. Next to him was a woman with braided black hair and a cool expression. Her features were Native American and she had the same marble smoothness.

  Jorick surveyed the pair, though he addressed only the male. “Hello, Jamie. It’s been a while.”

  Katelina started to ask who they were, then she saw the twisted silver medallions around their necks. They were Executioners.

  “It has been a while.” Unlike Beldren’s cool curiosity from the night before, Jamie’s face held something close to friendliness. “I heard you’d been summoned.”

  “If you want to call it that,” Jorick answered stiffly.

  Jamie met his eyes and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “Verchiel is fond of dramatics.”

  “Then he’ll enjoy a dramatic death. Enough about him. I hear you’re the second in command now.”

  Jamie nodded. “Ark took your place, of course, and has kept it all these years. Though at the current mortality rate perhaps that won’t last? We’ve lost three since October. You and your fledgling have been busy, Jorick.”

  “I didn’t do it, and Bren’s no loss, anyway. As for the other two, I didn’t know them.”

  The woman’s brows drew together and she snapped, “They were Franklin and Philip. Just because you didn’t know them doesn’t make their lives meaningless.”

  Jamie laid a hand on her arm to calm her, though he spoke to Jorick, “Franklin was killed at your Fledgling’s house in October, and it was Philip that Traven and his followers recently dispatched. You should remember him. He was a greater guard and travelled with us on several of your last assignments.” He cocked his head to one side. “Though perhaps you were too preoccupied to notice him? You did spend much of the time elsewhere.” The smile became more definite. “The perks of command. They don’t allow that anymore. After Kateesha left, Malick decided that we should live close at hand. Of course, he blamed it on the population increase and the westward expansion, but…”

  Jorick murmured a noise of understanding, and then asked bluntly, “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

  “We weren’t looking for you, if that’s what you’re implying. Though, I’m glad to have found you, all the same. As you said, it has been a long while.”

  Their eyes met and Katelina had a sense that they were having a silent conversation, like Jorick did with Oren. If so, that meant…

  “Yes.” Jorick broke eye contact with the Executioner and turned to her. “He’s what they call a Whisperer, the same as I am.”

  As if he’d only noticed her, Jamie turned his dark eyes to her too. “I’d heard you were traveling with a human.”

  Katelina waited for Jorick to explain that they were a couple, but much to her chagrin he simply said, “Yes.”

  She scowled deeply, though neither of them seemed to see it.

  Jamie indicated his passionate companion. “This is Migina. She was one of three who had the dubious honor of replacing Kateesha, as was the late Franklin.” He turned to her and added, “I believe you’ll know who Jorick is by reputation alone.”

  “Yes.” It was only one word, but it was cold; very cold.

  Jamie continued as if she hadn’t spoken, “I didn’t expect to see you back, Jorick. Whether summoned or no. Not after the scene when you departed.”

  His comment piqued Katelina’s interest, and she took a step closer, as though to better catch the meaning behind their words.

  Jorick’s jaw clenched and his brows drew together defiantly. “My anger was justified.”

  “I said no different. I only meant that many were surprised when Malick didn’t have you put to death for your… actions.”

  “Rebellion, you mean?” Jorick’s eyes flashed.

  Jamie quickly held up an appeasing hand. Before he could make amends, Migina said, “If the stories I’ve heard are true, then rebellion is the correct choice.”

  “I’d ask what you’ve heard,” Jamie said quietly. “Though I doubt it does justice to it.”

  Jorick snorted contemptuously, but Migina apparently felt the need to find out. “That he threatened his master and attacked his fellows when they tried to intervene, including Ark, who he nearly killed, and probably would have, if Malick had not stopped him at the last moment. Then, he escaped.”

  Katelina’s questioning eyes sought Jorick’s, but he didn’t look at her. “You’ve heard correctly. Except for the end. Escape implies that I was challenged, and I wasn’t.”

  “No, he left freely.” Jamie’s attention turned to Jorick again. “There was only Malick left to challenge you, and it was his whim to let you go. Perhaps the story of your dramatic escape is what has fueled the rumors.”

  Jorick rolled his eyes. “If you’re referring to the ridiculous relic-”

  “I am.”

  “- it’s nothing more than an old story used to scare fledglings. This is the second time I’ve had to listen to this nonsense.” Jamie didn’t comment, but Jorick answered as if he had, “I spoke to Beldren last night. It appears I’m going to be lucky enough to be reunited with everyone while I’m here.”

  There was a hint of hostility in his tone and Migina glared at him. He glared back; a clash of wills. Finally, she looked away. “Unless you require my presence, Jamie, I will go and report.”

  “Yes, of course.” They exchanged nods and she swept down the hall, her long black coat trailing behind like a cape. When she’d disappeared from view, Jamie said by way of explanation, “We’ve only just returned from a riot in New Mexico.”

  Jorick drew back a step. “Then I shouldn’t detain you.”

  Regret showed in Jamie’s eyes. “I had hoped we could put the past behind us.”

  “It is. But Katelina and I were on our way to the lounge.”

  “The sixth floor lounge?” Katelina nodded emphatically and he went on, “How long will you be in the Citadel?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I see. Then perhaps we can meet later, when it’s more convenient.” His eyes flicked to Katelina and she had the distinct impression he meant without her. “It would be a shame if you left before we had a chance to catch up.
”

  “Yes. Perhaps tomorrow?”

  Jamie inclined his head. “Until later.” And then he turned and followed his partner.

  He was barely out of sight before Katelina demanded, “Who was that?”

  “Jamie.” She glared and he added, “We… worked together. Long ago.”

  “I gathered that much. I just meant was he a friend of yours or something?”

  The idea surprised Jorick. “I don’t know that I’d call him a friend. But we were on good enough terms.”

  “What did they mean about when you left? I thought you just never came back after…” after Velnya died. Again, she didn’t say it.

  His voice was soft and shaded with regret. “No. I came back. Once. I killed the humans and turned straight for the Citadel. It was new then, and nothing like this.” He waved his hand around. “Malick wasn’t hiding in dungeon chambers, and I meant to kill him. I blamed him for keeping me away when I was needed at home.” He made a noise in his throat, as if trying to clear away old demons. “Of course, I didn’t succeed. The others had to protect him, and so I fought my way through them. When I reached him, Malick was much stronger than I was.” Something dark passed across Jorick’s face. “He defeated me and then released me to do as I would.”

  Katelina found his mercy surprising and Jorick laughed hollowly. “Mercy? No. It wasn’t mercy. At the time I imagine my actions were the same as Oren’s are now. I believe I wanted Malick to kill me, and he knew it. He refused. He wasn’t being merciful, only cruel.”

  She shifted uncomfortably. She could see old pain and anger shading his eyes, but she didn’t know how to comfort him. Still, she tried. “I’m glad he didn’t kill you.” She took his hand in hers. “I like you being alive.” She offered him a tentative smile and he returned it, then pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her.

  “Yes, I suppose it is rather more convenient than being dead, isn’t it?”

  She nodded against him and he released her. “All right, so you wanted to go to the lounge?”

  Though the Citadel might have been geared towards the vampiric nightlife, television programming was still the same. The later it got, the worse the shows were. Eventually, neither Jorick or Katelina could take it anymore.

  They stopped at the restaurant again, but Katelina wasn’t hungry. Jorick insisted she eat something, so she settled for a piece of cake drizzled in caramel. She supposed she should enjoy it while she could. However, in the last couple of months her stomach had shrunk and she could only stuff so much in.

  She was full to bursting when they went back to their room. Inside felt like a cold, winter night, but the chill in the air had nothing to do with the temperature. Oren sat on the couch, ankle crossed over his knee, and an iceberg expression on his face.

  “I wasn’t sure you were coming back.”

  Katelina bit back a retort and skirted around both the vampires for the bathroom. Even after she shut the door, she could still hear them.

  “And where else would we go?”

  “It’s hard to tell.”

  Jorick sighed. “This is as much of an inconvenience for us.”

  “You seem to be enjoying it!”

  “And what part have I enjoyed? Having Katelina subjected to the whims of a selfish master? Do you think I enjoyed watching the tears roll down her face while he probed her mind? Or perhaps I’ve enjoyed chasing her down and peeling that clown colored buffoon loose from her? Or do you think I just enjoy revisiting a place that I left for a reason?”

  Oren snorted. “If it weren’t for her -”

  “No! If it weren’t for you and your wife and your sister! We’re here because of your war with Claudius! Your sister started that war, if you’ll remember, because she couldn’t keep her hands to herself! And when the Executioners came, they killed your wife because of the laws she broke! She trapped your son into eternal childhood and the youngest as a baby for eternity, Oren! A baby! How many hundreds of years would you want to live, trapped like that? It was Jesslynn and Torina’s self-centeredness that’s landed us all here! I’ve stood by you because no one else would, but by God, Oren, I’ve had it with your inability to see your own faults! You’re so quick to blame someone else when the person you should be angry at is the one who looks back at you in the mirror! You allowed Torina to be out of control! You allowed Jesslynn to turn the children! You let the war drag on and on, and when Torina derailed your second war to fight Kateesha, because of a feud over yet another of her bedmates, you went along! It was your choices and your choices alone that have landed you here, and I suggest you use the time until we’re released to come to terms with that.”

  Katelina stared at the wooden door, her eyes wide and her mouth open in shock. Her hand acted of its own accord and opened the door wide enough for her to see the pair. Jorick stood over the couch, his dark eyes flashing fire, his hands on his hips. Oren was still seated, his face white, his jaw clenched and his fists shaking at his sides. His earlier anger was nothing compared to what she saw on his face now.

  She gasped. At the sound, Oren’s head snapped around and his burning eyes landed on her. He snarled and jerked to his feet. He pointed at Jorick. His finger shook with his fury, but no words came out. Finally, he bellowed, “You!” and then stormed from the room without even bothering to slam the door behind him.

  Katelina stood motionless in the bathroom doorway. She had no more words than Oren did. Jorick was right. She’d just never expected him to say it, especially not to Oren’s face.

  “He needed to hear it,” Jorick said bluntly. “He needs to wake up from the ridiculous fog he’s wrapped in and see that he controls his own destiny. Rather than fighting a war he can’t win, he needs to exert some control on those around him. Jesslynn’s gone and he’s in command now. It’s time he acted like it. With command comes responsibility, not only to himself, but to those under him. If he wants to be a leader, then it’s time he acted like one.”

  She couldn’t argue, so she only nodded. Personally, she had very few nice things to say about Oren.

  Jorick’s shoulders sagged, his anger spent. “I’m sorry. Finish up, little one, and we’ll go to bed.”

  She nodded again and disappeared back into the bathroom. She couldn’t help but wonder if Oren would come back, or simply disappear. Truthfully, she hoped it was the latter.

  **********

  Chapter Seventeen

  Oren returned a couple hours later. Without a word, he took a shower and then shut himself in one of the coffins. Jorick didn’t comment. Katelina could see his eyes shining in the darkness and wondered what he was thinking, though she didn’t ask.

  When Jorick woke her the next evening, Oren was either still asleep, or had left early. She dressed quickly, in case it was the former, and then she and Jorick went back to the sixth floor for breakfast.

  They made it through the meal with no interruptions. Katelina wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. She didn’t want to talk to any more of the Executioners, but she didn’t want to go back to the room and face Oren either.

  Regardless of her feelings on it, that was where they went. Oren was again seated on the couch. An opened letter lay on the table in front of him. It looked a lot like the “invitation” The Guild had sent Jorick.

  Oren pointed to the paper. “This came for you.”

  Puzzled, Jorick picked it up and scanned the contents. His face clouded over and he dropped it back where he’d found it. “Malick requests my presence.”

  Katelina stiffened. “We have to go see him, again?”

  “No,” Jorick said with as little feeling as he could muster. “It’s only my presence he’s requested.”

  Oren stared at nothing, his face unreadable. “I suppose you’ll want me to watch her while you’re gone?”

  Jorick only glanced at Katelina. “Stay here. I’ll be back.” Then, he turned on his heel and stalked out the room, anger in his movements.

  She stared after him. She knew he
had no choice other than to go; still it seemed she’d be safer in the lounge than alone with the King of Grumpland. She cleared her throat uncomfortably, and glanced towards the vampire in question. Should she say something to him?

  The dark look on his face killed any would be conversation. In desperation, she turned to Jorick’s tatty paperback. It was a modern cop drama with too much cursing and enough sexual innuendoes to fuel a porn company. The story didn’t catch her interest, and she couldn’t even keep track of the characters from one page to the next, but it beat the alternative.

  As the minutes ticked by, the only sound was the rustle of the book pages and her own breathing. The tense silence was like a load of bricks on her chest. When someone knocked on the door, she fell all over herself to get it opened without thinking who might be behind it.

  After she saw who it was, she wished she’d thought first.

  “Hey, Kately!” Verchiel grinned. “I thought you guys were clearing out last night?”

  At the sound of his voice, Oren leapt to his feet and stormed towards them. He jerked the door out of Katelina’s hands and nearly knocked her over. “Unless you have official business, I suggest you leave.”

  Verchiel held up his hands in a gesture of peace. “Well, you’re just as friendly as Jorick! Is that an inherited trait?”

  Oren’s fists clenched at the comparison, and Katelina had a sudden vision of Verchiel getting punched again.

  “Do you need something?” she asked quickly.

  He put his hands behind his head, the picture of casual innocence. “I just thought that since Jorick was busy, you might be bored.”

  “She’s none of your business,” Oren snapped. “Go away.”

  Verchiel didn’t move. “So Jorick has you babysitting? That has to be annoying.”

  “Go away,” Oren repeated with more venom in his voice.

  Verchiel shrugged. “All right. I had no idea you enjoyed spending time with little Kately so much. But, if you’re resigned to waste your time as a second class babysitter, then far be it from me to interfere. I just didn’t peg you as the kind of guy who’d let someone slough demeaning tasks off on them.”