Samuel’s voice softened. “I am sure Juliana has her reasons for keeping certain things to herself, Adam. And her circumstances made it impossible for her to speak to you, did they not? I know her husband was a scoundrel.”
At the mentions of my full name and my husband I grew agitated again. I must have begun muttering because Christy tried to calm me down. “Shhh, Julia. You are talking nonsense again. You are safe. He is not here.”
Mary Anne spoke, sounding exasperated. “Can you all please refrain from talking about things that Julia finds disturbing? She’s already in a state of complete collapse. I am not sure what all happened tonight, but whatever occurred was clearly a terrible shock to her. Please do not further distress her with talk about her past.”
Surprisingly, it was Valerie who seemed to understand what Mary Anne was talking about and how I was feeling. “Mary Anne is right. If you need to talk or argue, do it somewhere else.” She paused and changed the subject. “I think someone should take Adam out hunting.”
“I will,” Richard said quietly. “It will be better if Julia wakes up to see only a few familiar people, not a whole roomful. And Adam does need to feed. Come on, Adam. Let them care for her.”
I heard footsteps and then my perception faded again.
***
Some time later I opened my eyes and looked about me. Why did my head throb, and my throat feel parched?
Someone was instantly at my side. “Julia, it is I, Mary Anne. Do not fear. You are safe.”
I looked at her blankly. At first I could not place where I was or even who she was. “He was here,” I said stupidly, gradually recognizing Samuel’s dimly lit room and Mary Anne’s worried brown eyes.
“Nay, dear girl. You were hallucinating. He has been dead for a year or so,” she answered reassuringly.
“Nay, I swear to you I saw him! He was there!” I protested, my voice rising hysterically. “He was saying —”
Mary Anne tried to calm me down. “Julia, it was your imagination. He cannot have been here.”
Christy spoke from my right. “It’s all right, Mary Anne. Let her talk— perhaps it’ll help if we talk about it.”
I glanced towards her and realized Mary Anne and Christy weren’t the only ones in the room. Samuel and Valerie were still there as well.
I shook my head slightly, which renewed the throbbing, and shut my eyes. I would not say anything with Valerie in the room. She was close to Samuel, but virtually a stranger to me. She wouldn’t understand anyway.
“Julia, what happened? What did you see?” Christy asked. When I did not answer, she tried again, but I remained stubbornly silent.
After a long moment I heard Valerie stand up. “This is really none of my business. She should not have to talk with a stranger around. Samuel, I’ll be with Beth and her group in Christy and Mary Anne’s room.”
“Samuel, I’ll be with Beth and her group,” I mimicked without opening my eyes, thinking she had already left the room.
“Glad to see your sense of sarcasm isn’t affected, young one,” she said sweetly. I opened my eyes to watch her leave. The second she left, my facade dropped. I sighed.
“Julia, what happened?” Christy asked again.
I closed my eyes again. The simple act of seeing took more energy than I had. “Actually. . . I do not know. Not exactly.”
“Your room was a horrible mess,” Mary Anne said helpfully.
“I was looking for the outfit I am wearing now. I got dressed and I thought I saw something. I whirled towards it and he spoke to me.”
“Your husband?” Mary Anne said.
I laughed bitterly. “You must think me mad.”
Mary Anne’s voice was non-committal when she asked, “What did he say?”
“He said we were a lot alike . . . and that I was a whore . . .” I started to cry.
“Oh, Samuel, look what you’ve caused,” Mary Anne scolded.
Samuel’s voice was defensive. “Why are you blaming me? I did not say those things. And anyway, none of us knew this would happen.”
“You are meddling with soul mates. Julia hadn’t seen him before you kissed her tonight, Samuel,” Christy said.
Sharon suddenly spoke from the doorway. “Maybe you should not have bought her here, Samuel.” She lowered her voice, trying to make sure I didn’t hear her. I caught what she said anyway. “Perhaps her husband’s mistreatment has wrecked her mind to the point she is beyond recovery.” The shock of her words caused my eyes to open as if their own volition.
Anger flashed in Samuel’s eyes. “Do not tell me what I should or should not have done,” he snapped. He walked to me and knelt down. “I’m sorry, Juliana,” he said, reaching out to brush away my tears. “Perhaps I moved too fast for your mind to take; maybe it was too soon. He was not here, Julia. He is dead. It was a hallucination caused by everything that has happened, bringing to your mind ideas that Gregory suggested to you when he was alive.”
“She is better than she was,” he said in reply to Sharon. “We have all had our moments.” There was a knock on the door. “Who could that be?” Samuel murmured. He walked to the front door.
“Who is it?”
“Delivery.” The voice was unfamiliar.
Samuel looked back at us with a puzzled expression. “Did somebody order something?” he hollered.
“Not I,” Matthew shouted from across the house.
“What is it?” Christy asked.
“What is it?” Samuel repeated towards the door.
I sat up and looked at Christy and Mary Anne who shrugged helplessly. “Strange . . . I do not remember ordering provisions,” Mary Anne muttered.
“Wooden stakes,” the voice answered.
“Wooden stakes?” Samuel mouthed almost silently. “Who here ordered wooden stakes?”
“Not I,” Mary Anne whispered.
“Well, I did, but I didn’t expect them to come for at least another few days. Catherine is fashioning them,” Robert said.
“Are you sure of that?” Samuel questioned.
“It has been a little chaotic around here. I may have lost track of the days,” Robert answered.
“Samuel, I am not sure . . .” Christy began as Samuel opened the door. A pale hand grabbed his throat.
Mary Anne and Christy both rose to their feet. “. . . that you should open the door,” she finished with a sigh. “Matthew! Come quickly!” she screamed as vampires began pouring in the house.
I slowly swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood, glad I was no longer crying. “Samuel is entirely too trusting,” I muttered. A vampire tackled me. I kicked him off, grateful that I had changed into trousers earlier. I saw Mary Anne and Christy kick off their shoes.
“No one ever learns from the Trojans’ mistakes, do they?” Mary Anne muttered under her breath.
“What?”
“Never mind,” she said with a sigh.
Valerie and the others arrived in the front of the house seconds later. “We’re trapped.”
Samuel was thrown across the room. Everyone scattered and went after the attackers. I forced my way towards the door and threw out one of the assailants. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize who else was out there until it was too late: Richard and Adam, returning from their hunt. The vampire I threw knocked into Adam and they both fell to the ground. He immediately went for Adam’s throat. “Richard, help!” he shouted hoarsely.
Richard looked towards the house and realized we were under siege. “Sorry!” he said and took off.
“Rich . . . you coward!”
“Adam!” I screamed as I was pulled back into the house. I was thrown directly into the middle of the battle. Stakes were flying everywhere; our attackers had most of them. As I fought against the two who had dragged me back inside, I searched for someone who could help Adam.
I spotted Matthew and one of Beth’s group members between me and the door. “Adam needs help outside!” I shouted.
Matthew gave me the barest of
nods. “Tim, try to make it to the door. I’ll attempt to make a path,” he said. He pulled out a dagger and swung at several of the attacking vampires, creating a small gap. Tim ran through it and towards the door. I could only hope he was able to reach Adam.
Several vampires forced Samuel to the ground. I jumped on one of his assailants. Pulling the vampire away, I grabbed a stake that was on the ground and forced it into the vampire’s heart. A gurgling noise came from his mouth and he collapsed.
I pulled off another of his assailants. The man backhanded me, making me fall down beside the vampire I had killed. He turned back toward Samuel and the two vampires he was still fighting. I had no weapon. In desperation I pulled the stake from the dead vampire and lunged for the man. The stake plunged through his chest and he fell without a sound. One of the two vampires fighting Samuel also lay dead. Samuel snapped the last one’s neck. He smiled his thanks at me and looked around. His eyes widened. “Valerie!” he screamed and started making his way towards the back of the house.
I looked in the direction he had gone, but my vision was obscured by the chaotic fighting. Samuel was nowhere in sight. I sighed and continued fighting.
Very slowly, we made some progress as several of us employed the ka-tet’s powers against our attackers. Several of Beth’s group fell, but we were able to kill some more of our assailants. Sharon was struggling against two female vampires. I saw she was in trouble and darted around another attacker in an attempt to reach her. One of the other enemy vampires saw me move and immediately tackled me. I was thrown to the hard floor. Dazed by the impact, I heard her scream as I struggled to get back to my feet. The second I was up, I lunged at one of her attackers. They threw me aside, and another grabbed her. There was a sickening crack as the vampire twisted her neck all the way around. Sharon slid to the floor, lifeless. I felt her death through the telepathy; it felt like a gaping hole in the ka-tet.
Her opponents slowly backed me down the hallway between the two bedrooms. Three more vampires met their deaths there by my hand.
I whirled to hit another vampire when I saw a female vampire knock over one of the only candles we had lit. The candle smoldered for a moment before flames licked up the wall. She smiled wickedly at me. “Valentino sends a message: London is our territory now,” she said, and bolted down the hall.
I started backtracking through the house toward the door. “Fire! We need to get out of here!” I screamed to Mary Anne, who was closest to me.
She swore and began struggling towards one of the doors. I was following her when three other vampires attacked. I threw one towards the fire spreading behind me and snapped another’s neck. Samuel’s voice suddenly pierced through my mind.
< The fire is too large! I do not have enough power!>
The smoke thickened fast. Chaos ensued. Everyone was fighting to get to the windows and doors. I shoved one of the attackers out of my way. When he grabbed my ankle, I stepped on his knee. < You should have thought about this before your friend started to burn down the house, you fool!>
I jumped off his knee and fought my way towards the front door, pushing and shoving. I struggled to see the door or windows through the acrid black smoke that burned my eyes and throat. I could no longer see anything, not even my own hand, through the smoke, but could hear voices. I followed the voices to the open door and flung myself towards the cool air, landing in the grass.
Though I was coughing uncontrollably, I heard the sounds of some fighting in front of me, closer to the street. I heard Matthew yelling and scuffling. Someone ran to my side and dragged me further from the house. “Julia, are you all right?” Jeffrey asked.
I gulped the cool, life-giving air greedily. “I think so,” I managed to say before another coughing fit overtook me. It was another minute before I could raise my head to look around and see who else had escaped the inferno.
Carrie and Tim from Beth’s group, along with Beth, were standing nearby on the lawn. Jeffrey was kneeling beside me, and Robert and Adam were fighting several vampires not far from us. Matthew and Christy were fighting on the street and Mary Anne was looking towards the burning house. I struggled to my feet and used what I had learned about the ka-tet’s power to hurl it at the remaining enemies. The power exploded outwards against our opponents, driven by my own desperation. I didn’t care whether it hurt them or not; I just wanted them gone. Out of the original twenty attackers, the remaining eight turned and fled.
I glanced around again. The others of my group were taking care of each other. I counted to my fellow vampires, knowing that Sharon had died. The count wasn’t right: two people were missing.
Where was Samuel? Panic gripped me when I realized he wasn’t on the lawn with the rest of us. Neither was Valerie. Horrified, I swung my gaze back to the burning building. Tears stung my eyes, and they were not from the smoke this time.
“Samuel!” I screamed. The house was by then almost completely engulfed in flames. And Samuel and Valerie were still inside.
I ran towards the raging fire. Jeffrey grabbed my arm. “You can’t go in there!” he yelled. I broke away from him and continued running. I was only a few steps away when Samuel stumbled out, carrying Valerie. He collapsed beside me. Jeffrey ran up and helped me drag them farther from the house.
Mary Anne and the others grouped around us. “Samuel? Are you all right?” I asked.
After a long minute he stopped coughing. He raised his head, and my breath caught. He was burned, and where he was not burned he was smoke-blackened. He dragged himself to his knees and knelt beside Valerie. “Valerie?” he said, his voice cracking.
Valerie stirred feebly but her eyes remained closed. She did not—could not—answer.
“Robert, Jeffrey, watch our backs,” Mary Anne ordered as she knelt beside Valerie, Samuel, and me. She studied Valerie carefully, then sighed. I followed her gaze and saw a large bloodstain soaking Valerie’s shirt. I looked up at Mary Anne. She shook her head. “Samuel?” she said delicately.
Samuel pulled Valerie to him and cradled her against him, ignoring his own obvious pain. “Val . . .” he whispered hoarsely. Mary Anne put her hand on his shoulder lightly.
“Samuel, was she staked?” Mary Anne asked in a gentle voice.
I glanced from Mary Anne to Samuel to Valerie. She was still alive, though barely. Samuel nodded. “But I pulled it out seconds after she was impaled.”
Mary Anne sighed. “Samuel, you know she will not survive the night,” she said with compassion. Samuel did not acknowledge her words.
“Mary Anne, we need to get out of here. The sun will rise in two hours,” Jeffrey called.
“Where can we go this close to sunrise?” Adam asked.
“Damien’s . . .” I heard the doubt in my own voice as I said it.
Christy shook her head. “Nay, Julia. We would put your sister and him in grave danger. Valentino obviously wants us out of London. We need another refuge.”
“If we take our carriage and move now, we may find shelter before sunrise,” Mary Anne answered.
Matthew ran towards the woods beside our burning house. Second later, he vanished into the trees.
“We have a carriage?” I asked.
Mary Anne nodded. “There’s a stable hidden in the woods for emergencies. We have kept the horses, though we never really expected we would need them.”
I nodded. A few minutes later Matthew returned at the reins of a team hooked to a carriage. As quickly but carefully as possible we lifted Valerie in and helped Samuel in beside her before climbing in ourselves. Matthew jerked the reins and we headed away from London, to we—or I, at least—knew not where, leaving our house aflame in the distance. With something like despair I watched it burn until we could no longer see even the eerie light it gave to the waning night sky.
Chapter 15
It was almost dawn when we came across an abandoned farm. Without
delay, we carried our injured and dragged ourselves inside. Beth and the other two surviving members of her group pulled the drapes shut.
Mary Anne gently laid Valerie on a bed in one of the bedrooms. Amazingly, Valerie was still alive. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” she whispered to me, just outside the door. “Most vampires die within minutes of being staked.”
“Maybe she has an especially strong will to live.” I believed that to be true, and I respected Valerie for it. It was also a characteristic we had in common.
Mary Anne nodded. “That must be the reason,” she replied. After a second, Samuel, with Jeffrey’s help, limped into the room where Valerie lay. He didn’t say a word. A second later, Jeffrey joined us outside the room.
Matthew carried an obviously exhausted Christy into a room down the hall. Robert beckoned Adam into the last bedroom, which Beth and the other two were also retreating into. Adam looked at me. I nodded at him and he followed Robert, looking none too enthusiastic about it.
All the furniture in the house was covered with many months’ worth of dust, which was one of the reasons we surmised the farm was abandoned and therefore a safe refuge for us. Jeffrey spoke. “Someone should stay in with Samuel and Valerie.”
Mary Anne and I looked at each other. “We both will. Get some sleep, Jeffrey,” I said after a long moment of silence. Jeffrey nodded, looking relieved. Mary Anne glanced outside.
“We still have a few minutes of darkness,” she said, grabbing an old pail. “I’m going to get some water from the well.”
I nodded and she hurried out. Hearing several yelps of pain from some of the rooms, I felt my hand begin to throb again slightly. Surprised, I glanced down. With the ambush I had forgotten about the strange episode in my former room. Although disturbing, it seemed so long ago — and now unimportant — that I didn’t take any time to think about it further. Mary Anne returned with the pail full of water.
“Find a few rags, Julia,” she said, carrying the pail towards Valerie’s room. I searched through a drawer in the kitchen and found a pile of cloths. I took them to Mary Anne.
I stared in silence at the scene that greeted me in the bedroom. Samuel sat in a chair, his light blonde hair singed black, his face red and blistered. His eyes were closed and he held Valerie’s hand tightly. I glanced sideways at Mary Anne, my eyes pleading for guidance. I wasn’t sure what to do to help.
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