Vampires of Maze (Part Six) (Beautiful Immortals Series Two Book 6)

by Tim O'Rourke

  “You must believe it,” Sidney said. “You must believe that you and Veronica can negotiate a truce because if you don’t, the plan has failed before you have even started.”

  I stared through the hole in the wall at Sidney. I knew he was right. I knew that any doubts – any misgivings – that I’d had about finding peace and a truce I had to put aside. Not only did I have to believe in peace, I finally had to start believing in myself. “Thank you, Sidney,” I said. “Thank you for speaking with Veronica Cabal and arranging this meeting.”

  “No, thank you, Julia Miller,” Sidney said. “Thank you for having the courage to meet with our leader and find a truce.”

  “How will I recognise her?”

  “She has long, thick, flaming hair,” Sidney said. “Bright crimson – the colour of blood.”

  Without another word, I turned my back on the hole, heading back into the woods, desperate to get back to my house to prepare myself for the meeting that would take place that night. I’d only taken a couple a steps when I heard Sidney call out to me once more.

  “Julia!”

  “Yes?” I said, looking back at him.

  “I look forward to meeting you again someday soon,” Sidney said.

  “And perhaps when we do meet again,” I said, “there won’t be a wall standing between us.”

  Turning once more, I hurried back deep into the woods. I’d been walking little more than ten minutes when I heard a sudden noise behind me – like a twig breaking underfoot. Stopping dead in my tracks, I shot a look back over my shoulder. I peered into the gloom. I could see no sign of anyone or anything. But as I headed back toward Shade, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that perhaps I was being followed.

  Chapter Five

  Closing the front door behind me, I headed up to my room. Lifting the corner of the mattress, I retrieved the notepad. I’d briefly considered hiding it away in the hole behind the painting of the steam train, but my spell book had been stolen away from there, so I knew it wasn’t a safe place to hide anything. Neither, I guess, was under my mattress, but I’d been in a rush that morning to make my meeting with Sidney. No harm had been done as the notepad was exactly where I had left it. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I tore the pages free that had my notes and plan written on them. I folded them up and placed them in the pocket of my sweater. I went to the window and peered out across the park. I could see no sign of either Calix or Morten. Perhaps my belief that I’d been followed was nothing more than my imagination – my mind working overtime – fearful that my plan might be discovered at the very last minute when so close to fruition. Besides, why would either of them want to follow me into the woods? Neither of them had any idea that I’d planned to meet with Sidney at the hole in the wall. They didn’t know that I’d arranged to meet Veronica Cabal so as to find a truce. And now that I was close to achieving my goal, I wasn’t so sure that I wanted either Calix or Morten to know of what I planned. I’d worked alone this far and I didn’t need their help. I’d promised Sidney I would go alone to meet Veronica Cabal and I couldn’t trust Calix not to follow me to my meeting place as I’d promised him that I would take him with me. If Veronica got wind that perhaps I had not come alone, all my hard work would have been for nothing. I couldn’t risk that. I couldn’t risk it – not just for my sake and that of the others – but for the child I was carrying inside of me.

  Turning away from the window, I went and lay back down on the bed. I knew I should get some rest before venturing out at midnight to meet with Veronica Cabal. As I lay back and closed my eyes, I couldn’t help but wonder whether I was right to trust the leader of the vampires after all. I only had Sidney Watson’s word that Veronica was going to be alone at the station where we had arranged to meet. How did I know that I wasn’t walking into some kind of trap? I had no real idea whether she really intended on working on a truce with me. But Sidney Watson seemed genuine enough. Perhaps she had tricked him too. Maybe this Veronica Cabal had lied to one of her own on hearing that there was a witch who wanted to form a truce. Instead of dismissing the idea out of hand, she had lied to Sidney and agreed to meet with me stating that she wanted to find peace, when really all she wanted to do was to silence the voice that had put forward such an idea. After all, why would the vampires want to set free the humans that they kept in captivity? Why would they want to share this world with the werewolves who they hated and despised so much? But Sidney had told me that there were vampires who wanted peace just as much as I did. Perhaps they too were sick and tired of war and the pointless killing? Perhaps everything was going to be fine and all I had to do was just believe and rid my mind of the niggling self-doubts that seemed to consume me. But… but what?

  But what if this was a trick – some cunning plan to kill me? I would have no way of protecting myself if I arrived at the station only to discover a trap had been set after all. Turning my mind to Calix once more, I wondered whether it was worth telling him about my plan – taking some kind of backup just in case. Just in case of what? Just in case the vampires turned on me. Could I risk such a thing now that I was pregnant? It wasn’t only my life I had to protect anymore. But Calix was no longer talking to me. He had skulked off to nurse the wounds I’d caused the night before. But he had taught me how to shoot. I didn’t have a gun. Perhaps I could get one? Where from? Maybe Trent or Rea had left a spare gun behind in their rooms at the Weeping Wolf? No, they would have taken all their weapons with them fearing they might come under attack when coming ashore in England once more. As I turned on my side, I remembered the boxes of bullets Calix had stacked on the floor of the redbrick house where we undertook target practice. Perhaps there was a gun hidden amongst those boxes that I could take with me. Maybe after dark and before I set off to the station, I could sneak unseen by Calix and borrow a gun and some of those bullets?

  But what if he caught me snooping about in the dark?

  But what if…

  But…

  I woke with a start and sat up. My room was in darkness. How long had I been asleep? Had I missed my meeting with Veronica Cabal? My bladder screamed to be emptied. I pressed a hand to my side in an attempt to silence it. Sliding from the bed, I went to the window and peered out. I could see that the moon was not yet up so I knew I still had time enough to leave Shade and reach the railway station. Leaving my bedroom, I hurried to the bathroom, where with a great sense of relief, I emptied my bladder. Scraping my hair into a ponytail, and checking that I still had the notes tucked in my sweater pocket, I left my house, closing the door behind me.

  I was only halfway across the park when my mind turned once more to the idea of taking a gun with me. I stopped outside the old schoolhouse and glanced left then right. Left led me in the direction of the church and the hill where the old redbrick house stood. To the right led me through the heart of Shade, through the alleyway, past the Weeping Wolf and up into the woods where I could sneak through the hole in the wall and head to my rendezvous with Veronica. Taking a deep breath, and placing one hand against my bulbous tummy, I headed left and toward the old redbrick house.

  In darkness, I made my way along the twisting and narrow pathway in the direction of the church. As I drew near, I listened for any sound of the scrape scrape scrape of Morten’s spade over gravel. But there was no such sound, only the swirling of the wind howling like the cry of a beaten dog. And why would Morton be out so late? I had no idea but he seemed to spend much of his time digging hollow pits in the graveyard.

  Once I was clear of the church, I scooted across the road. With a newfound difficulty, I managed to heave my way over the wall and scramble into the field on the other side of it. With my breath feeling laboured again, I trudged up the hillside in the darkness. At its peak, I looked down and could see the dim silhouette of the redbrick house. As quietly as I could, I crept down the hill and toward the building. A quarter moon had risen in the night sky, and in what little light it shed, illuminated my path as I made my way down the hill. Within touchin
g distance of the building, I stooped forward. It was almost impossible to walk as my stomach had grown in size since I’d last crept around the outside of the old building. Standing up, shoulders rounded forward and head down, I tiptoed toward the broken doorway. Standing flat against the wall, I dared to peek inside. In the near darkness, I could just make out the dishevelled heap that was Calix’s bed in the far corner of the room. Beside it was stacked the boxes of ammunition I’d come in search of.

  Unable to see Calix anywhere, I crept inside the derelict outhouse. Broken glass crunched beneath my boots as I tiptoed forward. Reaching Calix’s makeshift bed on the floor, I knelt down and began to search through the boxes. There were plenty of bullets that I could see but no gun. What was the point of bullets without something to fire them from? Placing the boxes down again, I stood up, and feeling somewhat despondent and concerned I’d wasted valuable time in coming all the way out to the brickhouse, I made my way back out into the field. As I stood alone in the quiet, I heard the distant sound of splashing water. Intrigued by this, I set off in the direction of the noise and into the nearby wood. I hadn’t gone very far, when I saw a small clearing ahead with a stream running through it. Cowering behind a nearby tree, I spied around its thick trunk and could see Calix standing naked in the free-flowing water. With his back to me, and in the pale moonlight, his body looked like it had been chiselled out of marble. Bending at the knees, he bent down and splashed the water over his body as he washed himself. Feeling somewhat like a peeping Tom, and knowing that I shouldn’t be spying on him, I looked away only to see his clothes strewn across the ground nearby. With his back to me, I crept from behind the tree and made my way toward his clothes which lay on the bank of the stream. With my heart racing in my chest and ears, I crouched low and searched through his clothes until I found what I was looking for. The pistols gleamed in the holsters which were threaded through the belt hoops of Calix’s discarded jeans. Glancing up once more to make sure that Calix hadn’t seen me, I watched as he continued to wash himself in the stream. Water trickled over his broad shoulders and down his back, and into the groove of his tight-looking butt. With my eyes still fixed on him, I blindly worked with my fingers as I eased one of the pistols from the holster. His leather belt creaked in the stillness of the night and my heart stopped. Calix continued to wash himself, seemingly unaware that I was so close by hiding in the darkness and stealing one of his guns. When I was quite content that he hadn’t heard me, I slowly withdrew the gun from its holster and crept away.

  At the edge of the woods, I looked back to make sure that Calix hadn’t followed me. When I was sure that I was alone and that my thievery had gone unnoticed by him, I made my way back up the hill and back toward the road and the church. Once I was out of sight of the redbrick house, I tucked the pistol into the waistband of the jogging bottoms I wore and covered it with the hem of my sweater. I again scrambled over the wall and back onto the narrow road. I looked up and could see that the moon had risen further across the night sky. Fearing that I was running out of time to make my appointment with Veronica Cabal, I pulled up the hood of my sweater and headed as fast I could in the direction of Shade. I’d taken no more than a few steps when I felt a hand grip my shoulder and spin me around.

  Chapter Six

  “What are you doing out here at such a late hour?” Morten asked me, his voice little more than a cackle in the darkness. His eyes shone like two white spheres. His fingers slid from my shoulder like oily snakes.

  “I just fancied a walk that was all,” I said, my hands instinctively going to my tummy as if trying to protect and hide it in some way.

  Morten wasn’t looking at my stomach, he was staring into my eyes, as if trying to read me. “You must think I’m stupid.”

  “Stupid? Why would I think you are stupid?” I said, forcing a smile.

  “I know why you’ve snuck all the way out here in the dark,” Morten said, his hollow face looking like alabaster in the moonlight.

  “Why then?” I said, trying to make light of the situation, the cold metal of the gun against the small of my back.

  “You came out here to see Calix, didn’t you?” He said with a sly smile. “I know that since the others have gone you’ve been spending a lot of time together. I know you’ve been cooking for him and I must say I feel a little hurt that I haven’t been invited.”

  “I’m sorry,” I stammered. “Of course you’re invited, I just didn’t think… I’m sorry…”

  Morten’s pointed face broke out into a wide smile as he began to chuckle.

  “I’m teasing you, Julia,” he said. “I know you young ones don’t want an old fart like me hanging about like a bad smell.”

  “Fart?” I said, pretending to be shocked by his comment.

  “Don’t look so surprised, Julia, I know what the others say about me. I might be old but I’m no fool,” he said, smiling again.

  “But I don’t think you’re a fool,” I tried to assure him.

  “That’s very nice of you to say so,” Morten said, pushing up the brim of his bowler hat. “But I don’t wish to keep you out here in the dark any longer than I need to. Go on, get yourself home.”

  “I will,” I said, turning away and back down the path again. Then stopping, I looked back at him and added, “Morten, I just want you to know that you’re welcome to have dinner with me any time.”

  Morten raised one slender pale hand and said, “That is very kind of you, Julia. I might take you up on the offer one evening.” Without saying another word, he turned, pushed open the gate in the church wall, and disappeared amongst the shadows of the gravestones.

  Knowing that I dare not waste another moment or be late for my meeting with Veronica, I made my way as fast as I could across Shade, through the woods, and to the wall. With my hands hanging at my sides and fingers twitching with the faintest licks of magic, I stared at the hole in the wall and envisioned the fields, the meadows, the train station, and Veronica Cabal waiting on the other side for me. Placing one foot in front of the other, I made my way toward the wall, and as I reached it, I folded my hands and arms across my stomach, wishing to protect the child inside.

  On the other side of the wall, I wasted no time in following the winding road through the darkness, heading east and toward the station Sidney had called East Ridge. I had no compass or map, only the light of the moon to guide my way. I continued to head east like Sidney had told me to do, and it wasn’t long before I came across some fencing which lined the road. On the other side of the fencing, I could see railway tracks snaking away into the distance. I walked parallel to them, heading in the direction they went, suspecting that they would lead me to the railway station I’d come in search of. My back began to ache as did my thighs and calf muscles as the ground began to rise up slightly. Stopping for the briefest of moments, I placed my hands in the small of my back and winced in pain. I looked up to see a squat building in the distance. The railway tracks continued to head in that direction so I followed them once more.

  The path I’d been following veered left, then right, almost coming back on itself as it led me down a narrow road and to the front of the railway station. There was a small carpark out front and the tarmac was cracked and blistered in places. It appeared that it had been a very long time indeed since anyone had parked a car outside the station. There was a series of small steps leading up to the front of the station and I climbed them. The glass panelled front door was locked and it rattled in its frame as I tried the handle. Cupping my hands around my eyes, I peered through the glass and into the ticket office and the waiting room. I could see no one waiting for me. Turning, I headed back down the steps and around the side of the railway station and onto the platform. From the platform edge, I could clearly see the railway tracks, which were covered with brown and orange rust. Weeds grew up between the ballast and sleepers and I could see that it must have been years since any type of train had travelled through the station. There was a clock fixed to the station
wall. I glanced at it hoping that it might tell me the correct time. But the front of it had been smashed and what was left was covered in spider webs. The time read a quarter past seven and I knew that couldn’t be right. There was a vending machine but the light inside had long since gone out and any chocolate that remained was years old and probably very stale by now. The wind whistled along the platform, and at first I thought it was the sound of an approaching train, but it wasn’t.

  I turned to face the wind, raising one hand to keep my hood in place. It was then that I saw a solitary figure sitting on a bench further along the platform. At once my heart began to pick up speed. My fingers began to tingle with what little magic I had left inside of me.

  Taking a deep breath, I called out and said, “Hello?”

  The figure did not turn or look up – respond in any way. Slowly, I placed one foot in front of the other. I made my way toward the person sitting at the other end of the platform. As I drew closer, I could see that just like me, the figure wore a hood which was pulled up, concealing much of their face. Unlike mine, the hood was not part of a sweater but was part of some jet-black robes, which fluttered in the wind that howled all about the station.

  Within feet of the figure, I stopped. “Are you Veronica Cabal?” I asked the solitary character. Just as before, the person made no response. The only thing about them that moved was the flowing robes that buffeted in the wind. Taking another deep breath, I made a small coughing sound in the back of my throat before saying, “My name is Julia Miller. Sidney Watson, the reporter, told me to meet you here.”

  Once more, the figure sat perfectly still.

  “I’ve come to talk to you about making a truce – finding a peace between the werewolves and the vampires,” I said, in a vain attempt to try and coax some response from the figure who sat on the bench just feet away from me.