Masque of the Vampire (Amaranthine Book 8)

by Joleene Naylor

Katelina bit her lip, torn between maturity and childishness. She decided to be an adult. “I was going to earlier, but you were with Des.”

  “I know.” Sarah looked up. “I was with him because I knew you’d stay away. Not that he’s a bad guy, but…you know.”

  Katelina shrugged. “I shouldn’t have hit you. I don’t know. Ever since this vampire stuff…I never would have attacked someone before.”

  Jorick made an incredulous sound she ignored.

  “I get that,” Sarah said uncomfortably.

  Silence fell again and finally Katelina said, “So, yeah.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ll, uh, see you tomorrow.”

  “Okay.” Sarah gave a half wave and started for her room.

  Katelina thought of Annabelle. “By the way, did you get that stuff with Andrei settled?”

  “Yeah, a couple days ago.”

  “Oh. I wondered what you ended up with.”

  “Ninety-thousand dollars and some old dagger-thing.”

  “There’s no property?”

  “Like real estate? No. Why?”

  Katelina shrugged. “I thought you said something about it. Never mind. Why did you get a dagger? That’s kind of weird.”

  “I thought so. He said it was supposed to go to Claudius, but he never had a chance to deliver it. I don’t know why anyone would want it. It isn’t even pretty. Hang on.” Sarah disappeared into her room and returned holding a tarnished weapon. A bit larger than the daggers Katelina was used to, the blade was more a blunt stake than slashing weapon. A single piece, the handle was the same material and made in a honeycomb design.

  Katelina took it and tried to make out the subtle details hidden by the muck of time. “Maybe if you cleaned it up you could sell it.”

  “I can see it being a big draw.”

  Katelina handed it back and wiped her hands on her pajamas. “Actually, there’s a bunch of vampires here who like to collect old crap. Like Sorino. He’s the one who owns Kai.” She cringed at her own words.

  Sarah gave the dagger an unhappy look. “You think he’d want it?”

  “We’ll show it to him tomorrow and see. If not, Bassile buys stuff. I heard Sorino trying to sell to him when we first came. And if they won’t pay enough there’s Lurid, or Jill, or those sisters. I don’t know how to get in touch with them, but Sorino will.”

  “I’d ask how you know them, but I doubt I want the answer.” Sarah gave the dagger a final irritated look. “All right. Tomorrow then.”

  “Night.” Katelina waved and slipped back into her room.

  “All made up?” Jorick asked with mild interest.

  “You heard the whole thing.”

  “True. But there wasn’t much conversation. I can only assume there was a lot of body language, or else you’ve both become accomplished mind readers.”

  “I don’t know about that.” She threw back the blankets and climbed in next to him. “More like years of knowing one another, I guess.”

  “That’s almost the same thing.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Be careful dealing with Sorino. He’ll pay her a quarter of what it’s worth.”

  “I know about Sorino and his sneaky crap.” No matter how it turned out, she remembered the temple of the Raven Queen and the way he’d forced her to wake Samael for him, a plan she was sure he’d had from the beginning. After all, he was the one who’d translated the scroll. “I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him.”

  Jorick chuckled. “You know, you could probably fling him quite a distance now if you tried.”

  “If he doesn’t cooperate maybe I will.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Katelina finished her breakfast and glanced at Sarah. The shuffling presence had woken both of them around noon. As usual there was no one there. A quick check revealed all their suspects were at breakfast, except William. Katelina wasn’t sure how much more proof Jorick needed.

  Maybe a dagger in his chest?

  Though she brought it up to him, he brushed her off with the same excuse. She expected Jamie to take their side—he’d said he took the threat seriously—but he agreed with Jorick.

  “He has to actually make a move before we can do anything. You can’t arrest someone for hatred alone. This party is too politically sensitive for that.”

  Katelina imagined the inscription on Jorick’s tombstone: Killed by delicate politics. That would be comforting.

  Sarah finished her breakfast. “Let’s at least get this knife dealt with.”

  Sorino was on a patio, Kai bundled up next to him. The vampire gave them a chilly smile. “Yes?”

  “You like to buy odd things,” Katelina began. “Sarah has something you might be interested in.”

  “I doubt that, but I’ll play along. What is it?”

  “Something that belonged to Claudius.”

  Sorino perked up. “Does this something have a name?” When they looked blank he said, “Never mind. Show it to me.”

  Sarah pulled the bundle from her purse and carefully unwrapped it. On sight, Sorino hissed air through his teeth. “Oh, no. I wouldn’t buy that for any price.”

  Katelina deflated. “Isn’t it worth anything?”

  “Everything is worth something to the right buyer, but you’re not going to find one. Andrei already tried.” Sorino smirked. “He called it the Spear of Destiny, as if we wouldn’t know what it really is.”

  Sarah looked at the tarnished weapon doubtfully. “What is it?”

  “The Blade of Nu-Gua. No doubt at least four-thousand years old.” Katelina and Sarah’s eyes went wide and the vampire continued. “An amazing relic to be sure, but even I’m not adventurous enough to own such a thing. The blade, and the curse, are yours.”

  “Curse?” they asked in unison.

  “It is said the blade belonged to the gods, created for a war among themselves. A weapon that slays a god becomes cursed when it draws first blood. It’s said all who own it will endure great misery and untimely death.”

  “And you believe it?” Sarah asked sarcastically.

  “I don’t not believe it. I’ve seen many myths proved true, not always as they are presented, but true enough to make me wary.” He stretched a long finger to poke the blade, but stopped short of touching it. “Andrei told you it belonged to Claudius?”

  “Yes. He said it was part of a bargain they’d made, but Claudius died before he was able to take full ownership.”

  “Interesting. Did he give you anything else besides this relic?”

  Sarah’s eyes narrowed. “Some money.”

  Sorino chuckled. “So he’s willing to pay you to take it. He is desperate.” He cocked his head to one side, as if listening to a voice they couldn’t hear. Maybe Kai’s. “Since you’re new, I’ll take pity on you. Yes, the blade belonged to Claudius. I don’t know where he got it, only that when his assets were frozen by The Guild, he gave this, and several other things, to Andrei as a security deposit against his interest in their joint venture. I can’t say if Andrei knew what it was when he accepted it, but I suspect he figured it out shortly after. Claudius’ untimely death seems to prove the curse, and no doubt Andrei is eager to see it go before something befalls himself or his little bride.” Sorino peered at it again. “In all honesty, I can’t think of anyone who would take that once they know what it is.”

  “If it’s so terrible why didn’t he throw it away?” Katelina asked.

  “For the curse to transfer, ownership must transfer. If he throws it in a lake, how will he ever pass it on and get rid of the curse?”

  “Who am I supposed to pass it on to?” Sarah asked impatiently.

  Sorino rubbed his chin. “You’d have to find a vampire young enough they wouldn’t recognize it. Perhaps the bald imbecile she spends time with, or his teen lover.”

  Katelina choked. “If you mean Micah and Loren, I don’t think they have that kind of relationship.”

  “Don’t they?” Sorino shrugged. “Regardless, they’re both young
and ignorant. If not them, then someone like that; someone new who has a young master, someone removed from the vampire culture. The kind of fledgling Andrei hasn’t come in contact with—until you showed up.”

  “Great.” Sarah wrapped the dagger up and stashed it in her purse. “Thanks for all your help.”

  “No need to be so grateful,” Sorino replied with equal sarcasm. “I could have told you nothing.”

  Before Sarah could reply, Katelina murmured a more sincere thanks and dragged her away.

  “Now what?” Sarah asked when they stopped. “Who do we sell this to? I don’t think that bald guy has any money, and a teenager definitely doesn’t.”

  “You can’t pass a curse off to Micah or Loren. They’re my friends.” The words surprised Katelina and she paused to digest them.

  “I thought I was, too. I guess you’d rather leave me stuck with the curse. Thanks a lot.” Sarah motioned it away. “Seriously, though, the curse is probably crap, like the Hope Diamond.”

  Katelina hated to echo Sorino but, after the legend of Lilith and Samael, she was ready to be cautious. “Better safe than sorry.”

  “Maybe.” Sarah looked down at her purse. “Maybe I’ll keep it, now that I know it’s something besides a dirty bit of metal. He said it was more than four-thousand years old.” She reached into her purse and tugged it out. “Imagine, four-thousand years.”

  Katelina thought of Samael and his weariness with the world and everything in it. “I try not to.”

  Sarah wrapped her hand around the handle. “I wonder who it really belonged to. Maybe a queen. Or a king. I should have asked him what country it was from.”

  “I doubt gods had countries.”

  “There’s no such thing as gods. They’re just stories. You know, I think I’ll get this cleaned up and put in one of those shadowboxes with a little card talking about the curse. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

  Katelina saw the humor, but she couldn’t shake her bad feeling. “I think you should get rid of it.”

  “Don’t worry so much, Kate. There’s no such thing as a curse.”

  Katelina bit her lip to stop from saying, “Tell that to Claudius.”

  The circus performers had set up a tent in the yard. After lunch Katelina and Sarah filed outside with the others and took seats to watch the performance. Katelina noticed the pale twins and Kali ahead of them and shivered.

  “What?” Sarah followed her eyes. “You don’t still think they’re creepy?”

  “Yeah I do. They’re always picking through my brain and saying spooky — Oh crap. They saw us.”

  Tol and Ren glided toward them. Though their smiles were meant to be pleasant, they made Katelina shiver. “Hello again, Sarah.”

  “Yes, so nice to see you. We hope you had fun yesterday.”

  Fun? Katelina turned to Sarah questioningly.

  “Yes, I did. We should do that again.”

  “Yes,” Tol said. “Even Kali enjoyed it.”

  “Yes. She talked about you all night,” Ren said.

  “All night,” Tol echoed.

  “Next time you should bring Katelina,” Ren added.

  “Kali would like to get to know her, too,” Tol said.

  Katelina shivered and pulled back a step. “That’s okay. I’m sure she’s too busy to bother with me.”

  “Oh no. Never too busy.” Ren laid a hand on her shoulder and she stiffened. “We could all be great friends.”

  “Great friends,” Tol repeated and touched Sarah’s arm.

  Katelina pulled away. “I really don’t need any friends. I have Jorick. If you’ll excuse me?”

  She hurried toward the bleachers and into a seat before they could stop her. Her head crawled and she felt the digging, probing sensation of a mind reader. With a glare in their direction she imagined a pile of bricks dropping on their heads. Like before, a soft laugh echoed in her mind and the probing stopped.

  Sarah joined her a minute later, visibly angry. “What’s your problem? That was unbelievably rude.”

  She was right, but Katelina couldn’t help it. “They were in my head. I’m sorry, but I can’t stand that.”

  Sara dismissed it. “No they weren’t. I played several games of Hearts with them and Kali yesterday. They were all nice, and none of them tried to read my mind.”

  Katelina rubbed the goosebumps from her arms. “Of course they did. As you said, all the ancients do it. I don’t know, maybe it’s just because old vampires freak me out.”

  “Do they?” a voice asked behind them.

  Katelina turned to see Brandle/Acwellen looking amused. “Um…I didn’t mean…”

  He chuckled. “Kali takes some getting used to. Egyptian, I think someone said. But you’re right to be cautious. The older we get, the crazier, and crazy immortals are capable of truly terrifying things.”

  Katelina wasn’t sure how to respond. Were his words a warning, or a threat? She managed a nod, and turned around as the music started.

  The circus’ usual thrills were magnified by the participants' immortality. Katelina’s attention was glued to the ring; even Jorick only earned a cursory glance when he roamed into the tent and took a watchful place to the side.

  The pair of clowns entertained them while workers set up a cage for the cats, made of pieces of heavy metal mesh fastened together around the outside of the ring. When they finished, the lion came in with a roar that made Katelina jump. The trainer moved it through a routine of climbing, leaping, and posing. With immortality came increased abilities, and the cat’s leaps were the longest she’d ever seen.

  The trainer motioned it to wait on a painted stand, as the tiger came in. The animal did a round of tricks that ended with it leaping onto the other end of the lion’s platform. The maned cat reared up with a roar and swiped at his partner.

  The trainer shouted and smacked a nearby box, but the lion didn’t notice. It slapped the tiger hard enough to knock it off the stand, then leapt over him to land, claws out, on the wall of the metal cage. It hung for a second before the metal plate groaned and tipped over, pulling free from those around it.

  The spectators rose to their feet, eyes wide, mouths gaping in silent shock as the lion bounded at the nearest person. Man and animal crashed to the ground. With horror, Katelina realized who it was.

  “Jorick!”

  Cries swelled from the crowd, and Katelina struggled to shove her way down the bleachers as everyone else was trying to go up. She finally reached the ground, expecting to see blood and torn limbs. Instead she saw the lion making his way into the ring, where he let his trainer guide him back to his private cage.

  Katelina reached Jorick’s side as he took his feet. He dusted himself off, his expression grim.

  “My God, are you okay? What happened?”

  The trainer slammed the cage door and hurried back. “Did you see Leo’s eyes? Someone was controlling him!”

  Leo, Leo the lion. Why not?

  “Yes,” Jorick responded irritably. “I was.”

  “You made him attack you?” the trainer demanded.

  “No, I made him get off of me.”

  The trainer gave a huff of impatience. “Before that. When he attacked Teal he was already under their influence.”

  Jorick knocked the straw out of his hair. “No offense, but I doubt a whisperer used their powers to ruin your act. It’s a lion, they’re unpredictable.”

  “Not Leo! He’s friendly and well behaved and-”

  Jorick cut him off, “I’m more concerned with the construction of your safety equipment. The cage should have held.”

  “Yes, it should have.” The trainer stepped back to examine it. “The bolts are missing!”

  “Of course they are. It was put together in a hurry by workers who weren’t paying attention.”

  The ring master joined them, and after a brief conversation called the laborers over. They denied sloppy work, and one insisted he remembered putting those exact bolts in.

  “You think you d
o because you’ve done it so many times,” Jorick said dismissively. “From now on I suggest you double check. I’ll have to report this against your license.”

  The ring master grumbled, but they let it go, and Jorick led Katelina out of the deserted tent. As they walked to the house she saw William standing with an Asian vampiress. His green eyes met hers and he glared darts of pure malice.

  Katelina clutched Jorick’s arm. “Is William a whisperer?”

  He followed her gaze. “No. He’s a wind walker, and has a barrier, but no other mental abilities I know of. Why?” He seemed to suddenly understand. “No, Katelina. William didn’t take control of the lion and force it to attack me.”

  “Someone did. Not only did the trainer say the lion was being controlled, but the bolts were missing. The roadie swore he put them in, you even checked his mind and agreed that he thought he did it. What if he thought so because a whisperer made him skip those bolts but told him he put them in?”

  “I didn’t actually delve into his mind. The only sinister thing here is two vampires covering up for sloppy work. I was not a target. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. If not me, then it would have been someone else.”

  “Seriously? You don’t think it’s a little suspicious? William threatens you and three days later a lion attacks you? Are you dense?”

  “No, I’m not as paranoid as you. Besides, William couldn’t have done it, any more than you or Sarah could.”

  “You’re saying you have another enemy?”

  He sighed impatiently. “No. I’m saying no one did it. Now calm down and let’s go to dinner.”

  Sarah was waiting in the dining room. She nodded to Jorick and gave a cursory, “You’re all right?” but Katelina didn’t think she looked very concerned.

  What do you want her to do? Hang off of his arm?

  She didn’t have an answer to her own question, so she drank her dinner silently. After a couple of glasses, Jorick asked, “How did the weapon sale go?”

  With the excitement of the lion, Katelina had forgotten all about it. She tumbled out the story and Jorick frowned. “Let me see it.”

  Sarah pulled the dagger from her purse and, though Jorick leaned close, he stopped short of touching it.