Fabian’s blustery voice overpowered the heavy silence, “She’ll be sorry. Her coven is weaker than ours.” His dark eyes glittered dangerously and his hand clenched into an impassioned fist. “We nearly had them beaten today! It would be easy to follow them and finish them off!”
Traven flinched perceptibly and Jorge stared with large, uncomprehending eyes.
Oren massaged his temples. “What would that accomplish?”
“To show her who’s superior! She made her decision when she refused to acknowledge her brother’s actions!”
“And would you?” Oren asked. “Would you have allowed your sister…”
Fabian’s face clouded and he shouted, “We did, didn’t we?” He pointed a finger at Jorick. “And he -”
Oren cut him off. “Enough.”
Fabian wasn’t ready to be silenced. “I side with you out of loyalty, Oren, and because we both want the same thing, but I don’t forgive him! He saved you, but he did nothing to save her! Nothing! He could have spoken for her, but he didn’t! He even extended his protection to your sister, but not to your wife! He let her die! He let them kill her!”
“I said enough!” Oren shouted and spun to face him. “I’ve explained it to you before!”
Fabian opened his mouth to yell back, but Luna laid a hand on his arm and drew him towards the front room. “This is not the time,” she said gently. He growled his opinion, then let her lead him away.
As they disappeared, Traven’s brows raised in amusement. “How interesting. It appears you still have an effect on people, Jorick.”
“Only on the stupid ones,” Katelina muttered. At her words, all eyes seemed to turn to her, and she glared back.
“Come, Jorge.” Traven snapped his fingers and the Hispanic vampire flinched to attention. “We shall retire to our quarters.”
They took their leave. When the basement door closed loudly, Oren looked at Jorick and asked, “Why does he want to fight The Guild? He made pretense that it was only because I’d already planned it, but if he intended to bring Anya into it, even after our deaths…”
Jorick’s face was troubled. “I don’t know. He has more abilities than he lets on.”
Oren swore under his breath and his shoulders sagged. “Will he betray us?”
“I don’t know.” Jorick met Oren’s eyes. “I’ve never trusted him.”
“Neither have I. His numbers are greater than ours, and though I’m older than most of his members, both he and Jeda have older blood. I don’t understand why he needs us.”
“Probably to blame it on,” Katelina suggested.
Jorick squeezed her hand. “Perhaps. As I said, he has more abilities than he’s acknowledged. He can’t block me completely, though he can make his thoughts so muddled as to be unrecognizable.”
Katelina piped up. “How can he do that? Why can't you just read his mind like everyone else's?”
“Reading ones thoughts depends on how strong their will is and older vampires have stronger wills.”
“What about the others?” Oren asked, a hopeful gleam in his eyes.
“They know nothing. No doubt Traven is careful what he lets them know, since they‘re vulnerable. Except the Hispanic. His thoughts are all in Spanish, and nothing I can understand.”
“Which is why he keeps him ever at his side. If any of them know what he’s planning…”
“It will be Jorge,” Jorick finished the sentence. “I once knew some Spanish, but I’ve forgotten it. It isn’t a language I’m fond of.”
Katelina started to ask why but then she thought about his sister. She’d been killed by enemy soldiers; Spaniards, he’d said. She supposed that would explain it.
Oren simply nodded and pressed on, “What about his members? What does he have?”
“There’s a mind reader. His skills are more rudimentary than yours. I understand that there used to be one with some talent. He was killed in one of the battles with the Mexicans.”
“I see.” Oren rubbed his chin.
“Traven has carefully assembled his coven. At one time, he had a perfect balance of powers, but that’s been disrupted. He’ll no doubt be searching for new recruits soon.” Jorick’s voice dropped even lower. “There is one discrepancy of interest. Traven had already intercepted the first wave of Mexican reinforcements before Jeda joined with you.”
Oren’s eyebrows shot up. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that Traven is the one who sent Jeda north to find out what was going on, after the Mexicans told him they were joining their dark queen. If that’s even what they said. Traven alone interviewed them, so only he knows what they revealed. He did tell the partial truth though. Kateesha had fifty vampires coming north and they didn’t all travel together, so there were a few waves of them after Jeda left. That’s what happened to his coven.”
“If this is true, then why did you not see it in Jeda’s mind before?”
Jorick was slow to answer. “Jeda is not impossible to read, but neither is she easy. There are thoughts on the surface, but the deeper ones…” he trailed off and shook his head. “I’m not Malick. I could force my way in and uncover her secrets, but I don’t want to. I know what that can do.”
Oren agreed reluctantly, “Yes, I suppose it only makes more enemies than it does friends.”
“The question remains, what did the Mexicans tell Traven, and why was he interested enough to send Jeda alone?”
Oren sighed. “I don’t know. But, at least one question has been answered. It was Anya that Traven was talking to on the phone when Micah caught him.”
“Maybe.”
Oren stiffened. “If not Anya then who?”
The two men stared at one another thoughtfully, but neither seemed to have an answer.
The blizzard died down. Oren called a meeting with his coven to discuss the move to the new den. After everyone had been assigned tasks, they split up.
Katelina hurried back to the bedroom to fetch the suitcase. Micah was inside, strapping down the lids on the coffins. He paused from his work. “So old Jorick’s really going, eh?”
“God willing.” She was still afraid Jorick would change his mind. He’d added so many stipulations that she wouldn’t believe they were leaving until they were actually home.
Micah snorted his disapproval. “You’re not even interested in the outcome? Sometimes I wonder about that whole Kateesha thing. Everyone says you did it on purpose, but I bet it was a fucking accident.”
He was too close to home. “Oh shut up! I swear I’m going to invest in a vampire staking kit!”
He gave a throaty laugh. “Really? I’d like to see that. I doubt it would work. You’re too weak to punch through the ribs. One of these days when I get bored, maybe I’ll let you try.” He laughed loudly as she muttered under her breath. “Such words for a lady.”
Oren appeared in the doorway. “Let her be. You have things to do, Micah.”
“And so I do.” He straightened up and stepped towards her, his hands on his hips. “All right then, pathetic human. Since you and Jorick are too cowardly to hang around and actually get your hands dirty, I guess this is goodbye. If we’re all lucky, maybe you’ll catch pneumonia and we won’t have to see you again.”
Her eyes bulged in fury as he patted her roughly on the head. Then he heaved the prepared coffin onto his back and carried it out of the room.
Oren busied himself with another coffin and she waited impatiently for Micah to clear the hallway. When he’d completely disappeared, she snatched up her suitcase and hurried through the door.
Jorick was in the ruined living room with Loren, and she stopped at his side. The teen vampire looked from one to the other. “I guess have a safe trip and all that. The roads are probably pretty bad after all that snow.”
“You’ll be driving them too,” Jorick reminded him.
Katelina thought that was his way of telling the young vampire to be careful. From the nod and the smile, Loren seemed to agree.
The lion-maned vampire nodded his head in acknowledgment. The smile he gave Jorick was tight and fake. They both pretended not to notice. “Until we meet again.”
“Yes.” Jorick offered Katelina his hand. She took it gratefully and he led her into the dining room where Jeda was waiting near the door.
“Hello,” he said politely, with every intention of walking past her, but she caught his arm and drew him to a stop.
“Jorick, will you not reconsider?”
Katelina ground her teeth and fought the urge to physically pull Jorick away from the house and the temptations it offered. Why in the hell couldn’t they leave him alone?
He gave Jeda a half smile that was meant to be apologetic but failed. “I’m sorry. Whether good or bad, Malick is my master, Jeda. Even you cannot forget that.”
She frowned and released him slowly. “As you know, I do not believe that you asked your human to drink from Kateesha. You are many things Jorick, but you would not gamble recklessly with the life of one you love.”
Though Katelina didn’t understand why she was bringing that up, Jorick nodded his head as if it was a normal comment. “I appreciate that estimation.”
“Neither does Traven believe it, but he will use the fact that others do to his advantage, if he can.”
Curiosity glittered in Jorick’s eyes for a moment before it disappeared behind his carefully composed mask. “Why do you tell me this?”
She held her head high. “As you have no doubt discovered, he keeps his secrets and plans close. After the centuries, I can guess at them. I suggest that you are very careful, Jorick, or you will find yourself caught in a snare.”
Jorick took the information without any outward sign of surprise. “I don’t suppose that you could be more specific?”
“I’m afraid not. Though know he will only use it at need, and only as a distraction.”
A vague comprehension dawned on Jorick’s face though Katelina was still puzzled. “Use what? He and Oren are up to something, aren’t they?”
Jeda seemed unsure whether to answer or not. “No. The time will come and he will arrange it all in secret, and Oren will perhaps find out after it is over with. And I will not tell him or any other beforehand.” Her chin rose a notch. “I do not tell you to betray Traven, nor that you may get the upper hand on him, but so that you may avoid it altogether.”
Jorick bowed his head to her. “And I thank you. I will not betray your confidence.”
“I did not think you would.” Jeda’s eyes gleamed with an inner passion and she drew her shoulders back so that she resembled an ancient queen. “Long have we known one another, Jorick, though never well. Regardless, we masters have a duty to one another, though it has been forgotten and discarded as the ‘old way’. If we do not resurrect the old ways, we will soon find ourselves adrift in a sea of chaos that The Guild can only control by fear and murder. The masters need to draw together if there is any hope, not murder one another until there are only fledglings left. Though an immortal must flow and bend with the times, lest we break, still we must not forget that some things should remain eternal and uncompromising, lest we become as fluid as water and are diluted until there is nothing left.”
Jorick nodded, but declined to verbalize agreement. “Until we meet again.”
“Yes.” She inclined her head. “May you and your human find safety to weather the storm that may come your way.”
Jorick nodded. Then, he opened the front door and tugged Katelina out into the winter night. Her mind raced with too many questions and answers, all of them scrambled like a connect-the-dots puzzle.
“So what was all that?”
Jorick cut her off, his voice still emotionless. “We’ll discuss it later.”
She understood, so she stayed quiet and let him lead her towards the car. He went first, cutting a path through the waist deep snow and she struggled along behind him. She silently cursed winter and everything that came with it.
Jorick had to unbury the car and practically force the doors open, but soon she was safely deposited in the front seat. He used the vehicle like a snowplow and, though she doubted his success, he conquered the driveway and got the car to the road. Luckily, Anya had been through first and they were able to follow her tracks.
Jorick didn’t speak until they reached the salted highway, and then he only said, “All right.”
It took her a moment to realize he was ready to discuss her questions. She wasn’t sure whether to be annoyed or not. “How do you and Jeda know one another?”
Jorick looked at her as if she’d gone insane. Something shifted in his eyes, and he turned his attention back to the road. “She is - was - Velnya’s sister.” Katelina’s insides froze at that name, though he went on. “They were already turned when I met them. Jeda was married to Traven and Velnya was the third wheel. Enough about the past. Where’s your tirade? That Oren is a traitor. That he’s plotting something.”
The previous conversation left her feeling vaguely sick. “No. Who would he betray?” Slowly, she gained volume. “What I want to know is Traven’s plan.”
Jorick shook his head. “I don’t know. I couldn’t invade Jeda's mind after she’d come to warn me.”
Katelina snorted in disbelief “No, of course not. You can read mine whenever you want, but God forbid you use it for something useful.”
A smile danced at the corners of his lips, but refused to manifest itself. “There is a time and a place for such things, Katelina. Besides, she only has suspicions. They would be murky at best and based only on her experience with him, not facts.”
She refrained from saying that murky ideas were better than nothing. Hopefully, they were leaving Traven and his mysterious plan behind, though she doubted it.
**********
Chapter Twenty-Two
The trip home took most of the night. They parked in the weedy driveway and Katelina climbed out. The small white house sat dark and alone, its siding striped from old rain. The blizzard hadn’t come there and the yard was a tangle of brown weeds and dead leaves. The bare tree branches made her think of skeletal limbs waiting for their flesh to be returned. The scene was as cheerful as a graveyard. She was delighted to see it.
Jorick kept Katelina behind him and made careful rounds of the property and the house. Though he didn’t say, she knew who he was looking for. She’d half expected the cold eyed Alistair to be waiting for them. He wasn’t. She wondered if maybe he was too busy hiding from The Guild to bother her. They were supposed to be chasing him down, after all.
With the coast clear, Jorick carried in the boxes and bags she’d rescued from her mother’s house. He dropped them in a pile in the middle of the living room and looked towards the window. “There are a couple of hours until sunrise.”
His tone was suggestive, but guilt nagged at her. “I should probably call my mom.”
Though he didn’t visibly cringe, she was sure he wanted to. “If you insist.” He turned for the door. “I suppose this is going to become a regular occurrence?”
She hated her own answer. “Probably. We might as well get a phone.”
Though Jorick's lip curled, he didn't comment.
They drove to Loren’s house. Like last time, Jorick pulled the spare key out from under the air conditioner and unlocked the door and, just like last time, she stepped on the cat. The creature howled, snarled and then disappeared through the cat door in a streak of angry white.
“It won’t have a tail left by the time you’re through,” Jorick joked.
She ignored him.
Though it was just after five in the morning, her mother answered. “Hello?”
“Hey, Mom. I just wanted to let you know we made it home.”
There was a moment of silence, no doubt as she came to terms with her caller. Then she exploded. “Katelina? You just made it home? Where in the hell have you been?”
She tried to keep the annoyance from her tone. “We had a couple of other people to see. I’m not a teenager. You don’t need to be hysterical if I don’t call every day.”
“That’s what you think.”
Before she could go on, another voice sounded in the background, “Who’s that?”
“It’s Katelina. She finally made it home!”
It took the space of a heartbeat for Katelina to recognize the voice as male. At her mother’s house. At five in the morning. “Who’s that?”
“What?” Her tone went from aggressive to feigned incomprehension. “I suppose it’s late, honey. I’ll let you go.”
Katelina spoke slowly and punctuated each word, “Mom. Who. Is. That?”
Jorick cocked an eyebrow and looked on the point of inquiring, but she waved him to silence. “Hello? Mom?”
Her mother sighed. “It’s Brad. We were working on the website and it got late.”
“Brad?” There was more accusation in her voice than she meant. “Brad is staying overnight at your house? What in the hell?”
“Don’t you take that tone with me! I’m an adult.”
“So am I, but that’s beside the point! And what were you adding to the website? My blood type and fingerprints? I looked it up. You’ve got my medical information on there!”
“No, not exactly,” her mother hedged. “It was just the information about your injuries in case someone had seen you.”
“You can take it down. In fact, you can take the whole damn site down! I’m not missing anymore.”
“Sarah still is.”
Katelina’s stomach tightened. She had to say something or explode. “Mom, if she’s still missing you’re probably not going to find her. If she was okay she’d have gotten in touch with someone by now.”
“Maybe.”
Brad mumbled something in the background, and her mother answered him before she turned her attention back to Katelina. “All right, dear. It’s late. Or early. I’m going to let you go.”
“Fine. But tell Brad I want all my photos and information taken down. I mean it.”
“I’ll tell him, I’ll tell him. I’ll talk to you later, honey, and call sooner next time, okay?”
Amaranthine Special Edition Vol II Page 27
